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Home , Habibul Bashar, Shakib Al Hasan

Friday 43 Sports Friday, April 20, 2018 Modi forecasts IPL players will earn ‘$1 million a game’ Could earn as much as English Premier League footballers

LONDON: founder Lalit with the deepest pockets will win. The players Modi believes there will come a time when play- will gravitate towards who pays the biggest ers will earn $1 million dollars per game while salary.” warning that the traditional program of matches between countries “will disappear”. A ‘Irrelevant’ ICC domestic franchise competition launched a Meanwhile, in a chilling argument for decade ago, which has spawned a host of imita- traditionalists, London-based Modi forecast the tors worldwide, the IPL is now the most lucrative end of country versus country contests, which of all cricket tournaments. effectively finance professional cricket struc- “The IPL is here to tures all round the stay,” Modi told world and the demise of Britain’s Daily Tele- the International graph newspaper in an Cricket Council, the interview published The IPL is sport’s global governing Thursday. “It will be the here to stay body. dominant sporting “Today international league in the world.” cricket does not mat- IPL teams are ter,” he said. “It is of bankrolled by wealthy zero value to the Indian businessmen operating fan. “Tomorrow you will in an environment where the passion for cricket see bilateral cricket disappear,” Modi added. in India, the world’s second-most populous na- “Big series will happen once every three or four tion, makes the game an attractive target for years like the World Cup. “The ICC will become sponsors and broadcasters. an irrelevant body. It will be full of fat lugs who JAIPUR: cricketer Robin Uthappa plays a shot during the 2018 Indian Premier At present there is a team salary cap, with the have no power. They can scream and shout now League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between and Kolkata Knight Riders at the likes of England all-rounder Ben Stokes earning and in the future they will threaten to throw Sawai Mansingh Stadium. — AFP $1.95 million per season from the Rajasthan India out if they try to expand the IPL but India Royals. But Modi believes that if that $12 million has the power to stand on its own feet...They cap is relaxed, leading IPL players could earn as have a domestic league that it is going to be 20- much as English Premier League footballers and times the size of international cricket.” gether and make it a proper tournament,” he ex- for Cricket in India found him guilty of eight of- even NFL stars. That would have a huge impact Modi said the only way five-day international plained. “But it has to be a championship. If the fences relating to irregularities in the adminis- on international cricket, with players torn be- , long regarded as the pinnacle of the ICC does not do it I see no reason why the IPL tration of the IPL. He has never been charged tween making an IPL fortune and representing sport, could survive was if the ICC introduced a would not do it instead as a knockout IPL Test by the Indian government with a crime and de- their countries. “You will see players making $1- long talked-about championship. “I think there championship.” nies all accusations, but Modi has repeatedly in- $2m a game,” said Modi. “It will happen sooner is a window for Test cricket and a World Test Modi left India to live in London and has not sisted he cannot go back to India because of rather than later. “In a free market the person championship will survive if all nations get to- returned home since 2009. The Board of Control underworld threats to his life. — AFP

and sparked reviews into the culture within Aus- New era: tralian cricket. Then Steve Smith and his deputy have been banned from international and domestic cricket for a year, chance in future.” , Sabbir captain while Cameron Bancroft was exiled for nine Rahman, and Kamrul Islam Rabbi months, leaving the squad badly weakened. were the four others whose contracts were not They have all apologized and accepted the promises to renewed. Sabbir was already excluded from a sanctions. Paine said all three would be wel- cricket drop six, contract on disciplinary grounds. comed back to the national side but in a new en- , , Mashrafe rebuild trust vironment that met public expectations. Mortaza, , Riyad, “Certainly playing international cricket you have freeze pay rise , , Mustafizur to be as competitive as you possibly can be, but Rahman, and Mehedi Hasan were SYDNEY: Australia Test captain we just have to look at different ways of doing the 10 players awarded contracts. BCB presi- pledged yesterday to embark on a new era of that,” said, “more respectful ways of putting op- DHAKA: Bangladesh axed six players from na- dent Nazmul Hassan told reporters that con- “respectful” cricket and rebuild public trust after position teams under the pump.” tional contracts after a year of poor perform- tracted players would not be given a pay rise the ball-tampering scandal that rocked the sport. Australia has been under heavy scrutiny for ances with players who escaped the chop being this year. The top remunerated players-Shakib, The newly appointed leader said the fallout from sledging and Paine said on-field talk with the op- denied a pay rise, an official said yesterday. Mushfiqur and Mortaza-are paid 420,000 taka the tampering episode was greater than players position “will be very different going forward”. Opening batsmen and Imrul ($5,121) per month from the board. had anticipated and promised a different style of Cricket Australia (CA) announced a meeting Fri- Kayes were among the six to miss out on a con- The board also said it would review con- cricket in the future. day to discuss who will replace head coach Dar- tract as Bangladesh cricket warned players to tracts for around 80 first-class players. “Going forward we have a clean slate. We can ren Lehmann, who despite being cleared of any shape up, selector said. The Bangladesh lost Test series against New rewrite the way we play a little bit,” the 33-year- wrongdoing resigned amid the scandal fallout. late Wednesday de- Zealand, India and South Africa in 2017, and just old told reporters in Tasmania’s capital Hobart. But it denied media reports that former Aussie cided to retain just 10 players on contract, with managed to scrape a draw against Sri Lanka “The main thing for us is to bring the fans back opener Justin Langer had already been selected three others to be added at a later time. “For and Australia. Their limited-overs side made the to Australian cricket and make sure they like the for the job. contracts, we mostly preferred players who semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in the way we are going about it, they want to come “The process to be undertaken for the ap- would perform regularly over the next one UK but were drubbed in all but four of their 14 and watch and be proud of the Australian cricket pointment of a new Australian men’s head coach year,” Bashar said. “Some players have lost their one-day international matches. Bangladesh won team,” he added. will be discussed and agreed at the CA board regular spot in the team. They needed to be sent just one of seven Twenty20 internationals over The ball-tampering scandal during the third meeting this Friday,” a spokesperson said in a a message. Getting dropped does not mean the the same year. — AFP Test in South Africa last month stunned the sport statement. —AFP door is closed for them. Everyone will get a fair