The Magpie Group signed a three-year agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to conduct the upcoming Indian Champions League (ICL) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Magpie Sports Group (MSG) deals in sports equipment and apparel and organises sports events.
The Magpie Sports Group – organisers of the ICL – will be able to hold the franchisee-based Twenty20 tournament in Dubai for the next three years.
To be organised on the lines of the Masters Champions League (MCL), the ICL’s tournament format will comprise a total of 52 matches, including the two semi-finals and the final, with eight franchises playing six matches each in the league stage.
The price cap for the players has been fixed between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 20 lakh with the winning team taking home a purse of Rs 1 crore.
The teams that will feature in the inaugural edition are Delhi Badshah, Indore Rockets, Mumbai Star, Chennai Warriors, Hyderabad Riders, Bangalore Tigers, Lucknow Super Stars and Chandigarh Heroes.
But the proposed league has already run into problems, with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) cautioning cricketers against joining the league as it has not been approved by the appropriate authorities.
FICA is the global players’ representative body that includes player associations from individual countries.