Anand Vasu, writing in Tehelka, an Indian weekly magazine, isn't very optimistic about the Indian Cricket League's future. He thinks creating artificial rivalries isn't going to keep the fans hooked.
Randomly slotting international cricketers into teams does not work, because cricket fans have always been loyal to their teams. Whether it is India vs Pakistan, Lancashire vs Yorkshire, Delhi vs Bombay, Dadar Union vs CCI, even Greater Kailash II Main Road vs I Main Road, there’s something at stake for the fan. When you create artificial rivalries you kill this sense of identity.
He also questions the quality of talent the ICL has managed to attract so far.
It may seem as if the ICL has drawn a lot of cricketers away from the mainstream but they have little to show for quality. They’ve assembled a motley crew of havebeens, might-have-beens and wannabes. Yet, Kapil will have us believe the nation will sit up and watch this lot ... Just who will watch Shalabh Srivastava bowl to Shashank Nag when Ricky Ponting is hooking Zaheer Khan or Yuvraj Singh is clobbering Mohammad Asif?
