It's time for India Pakistan League (IPL)!

Remember ICL? It was a failed attempt by Shubhash Chandra to change how cricket was being played and watched. The Essel group chairman did not succeed, but showed BCCI the way to a gold mine and today, the top cricket body of India has a money-making-tree known as the Indian Premier League.

ICL was never going to be successful as BCCI was after its life in every possible way; but it did teach the BCCI how to try out new things. Though it was called the Indian Cricket League, it had a Pakistani team, Lahore Badshahs, featuring some of the biggest hitters from the other side of the border.

IPL might be an offshoot of the ICL, but it abstains from signing Pakistani cricketers, let alone allow participation of Pakistan teams. Today, when most of the world is glued to the TV set for some enthralling action, some of the cleanest hitters of the game are waiting across the border.

Scheduling an odd short ODI series is not enough for improving Indo-Pak cricketing relations

The game should be kept away from politics, we have heard this a thousand times by now from the administrators. Efforts have been made to revive Indo-Pak cricket, but they are limited to a short ODI series. IPL is the perfect platform for the melting of ice. The road towards better Indo-Pak cricketing relations must be built on the lines of globalization; and in cricket, what can define globalization better than the IPL?

Those who are concerned about the improvement in the quality of the game in India must not ignore the fact that even though Pakistani cricket may not be as rich as Indian cricket, they are not a poor side on the field. Why did we look dismal against Pakistan in the recently held ODI series? The answer is that the current Indian team is not habitual of playing Pakistan’s bowling. Believe it or not, no matter how much you prepare in the nets, to face the Pakistani attack on field is a different ball game altogether. Men in green are not conventional cricketers, you can’t tame them in an organized fashion. And because we don’t play them often, we will continue to face problems while playing them in helpful conditions. Enroll them in the IPL and see how easy it becomes for Virat Kolhi to whack Mohammad Irfan wherever he wants, something which he failed to do in the last series.

In any case, CL T20 – the other joint money earning child of the BCCI – openly accepts Sialkot Stallions, the 6 time champions of Pakistan’s domestic T20 tournament, Faysal Bank T20 Cup; considering this, there should not be any problem in making Pakistani cricketers regular participants in the IPL (provided the government approves). The 4 foreign player restriction per side handicaps teams sometimes in full usage of the talent available on the bench and will no doubt be an issue for Pakistan, which has enough talent for shorter formats, adding to more worries.

Sialkot Stallions.

There is a simple solution to it. Why not add a couple of Pakistani teams in the league? BCCI, inarguably, has enough money and it can keep the rights of the league to itself. Giving a part of money to a beleaguered cricket board won’t do any harm to its cause; in fact, it will only garner more support from the PCB. And if Rajeev Shukla and company fear that bringing in the brothers from across the border will mean that the league will have to change the name, they need not to worry much. For they can name it India Pakistan League.

Once they are done with the issues pertaining to cricket, money and business, there is this devil of politicking. No denying the fact that it is tough to make them understand the benefits of this association. The journey seems tough to start, but it is not impossible for sure!