As a rival to the already wildly popular Indian Premier League, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced its own Twenty20 tournament starting June 2010. The tournament labelled P20 will be styled along the lines of the IPL: there will be two divisions of nine teams each that will also include international players. The ECB hopes to replicate the furore that the IPL created in the worldwide market. The decision was taken in a meeting on Wednesday, as the ECB felt that the world would like to see more T20 cricket.

A research carried out by a committee chaired by Essex Chairman Nigel Hilliard has charted the soaring popularity of the game, and decided that another tournament will be well accepted. However he does forebode an overload and surfeit of Twenty20 cricket. But the ECB is ready to push aside those fears for now.

Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman told The Guardian on Wednesday: "I wish to thank Nigel Hilliard, the Essex chairman, and his working party for all the hard work they have put into the framework of this competition, "I am sure it will be another exciting development in the domestic cricket season."

Three out of the nine teams from each division will be promoted and relegated. And the top three teams from each group in this year's Twenty20 Cup will qualify for the top division. The ECB has yet to decide the finer details like playing conditions and the number of international players per team.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has made an amnesty offer to the players of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) which, according to Australian speedster Jason Gillespie, will motivate other boards to do the same. "Earlier, no one dared to reconsider an ICL player fearing a BCCI backlash. After this decision, a lot will change. The cooling period depends upon individual cricket boards. So cricketers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa, who have age, can once again play for their countries," Gillespie told the Hindustan Times.

"They (New Zealand Cricket) have long expressed their desire to get back Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey. Both these guys have the age and potential in them. It's not necessary that they will adhere to the one-year cooling period. I am sure they will try to get them back early." Following the BCCI the Bangladesh Board too is planning to lift the ban on its players.

Gillespie thought ICC’s reaction to the BCCI – ICL clash was unjustified: "Tournaments like the ICL are only windows to keep our passion for the game going. It is illogical for the ICC to not recognise such tournaments. Isn't it the ICC's duty to promote cricket? The decision will only benefit the youngsters who are caught in the BCCI-ICL crossfire."

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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