Having publicly backed the Subhash Chandra-promoted Indian Cricket League (ICL) some time back, even going to the extent of saying that the Railways would offer its stadia to the rebel league, Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is now having second thoughts on the matter.
Highly-placed sources in Rail Bhavan told The Indian Express that the Railways Ministry has shot down the proposal envisaging an agreement between the Railways and ICL wherein the Railways would have offered its stadia across the country to host ICL matches. This latest decision is learnt to have got Lalu's nod as well.
"Since the Railways' Sports Promotion Board is affiliated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, any such arrangement would have caused a direct conflict of interest," a senior ministry official said, confirming the development. "The Railways cannot simultaneously owe allegiance to the BCCI and provide its stadiums to a rebel cricket league. It can lead to a lot of legal issues," the official added.
However, even as the ministry officials stick to this line, Rail Bhavan corridors are abuzz with murmurs that this volte-face is a direct fallout of Yadav's wish to get his cricketer son Tejaswi included in the Indian national side.
Sources said that Lalu, having backed the rebel league and even attended its inaugural function recently, had a late realisation that his open support to the ICL was jeopardising his son's chances of making it to the national team.
Tejaswi Yadav, who currently plays for Delhi's Under-19 team and is said to be a competent cricketer, could not find a place for himself either in the India Under-19 team scheduled to tour South Africa in January 2008 or in the list of probables for the forthcoming Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in February 2008.
Not that the selection process was skewed - there were several other better contenders for the spot - but the main problem was the BCCI's bad blood with the ICL.
Following Lalu's open support to the ICL earlier this year, the Railways had started working out the modalities for having a long-term arrangement with the ICL wherein Railways stadia would have been made available to ICL at nominal rates.
In November, the Railways even threw open its Mahalaxmi ground in Mumbai for ICL players to hold a training camp. But with the proposal officially scrapped for now, the Railways association with the ICL appears to be on its last legs.
The ICL is, as it is, finding it a little difficult to organise tournaments and practice grounds for the top-notch international-national gathering. This will be a further blow to the league.
Also, with the BCCI's own Indian Premier League drawing huge national and international interest in the sale of franchises, the balance seems to have tilted towards an "official" venture.
Now, it is believed, that even if some players cannot make it to the top echelons - Team India - he could well make a good living through teams in the IPL and not lose a chance of making it back to the national squad.
Source : http://in.news.yahoo.com/
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