August 23, 2007	Thursday	Sha’aban 9, 1428

LAHORE, Aug 22: Ruling out the possibility of taking any action against the Indian Cricket League (ICL) organisers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stated it has already taken all possible measures under a democratic system to prevent players from joining it.

The BCCI executive secretary Prof R. Shetty said the BCCI had a clear policy on the issue and there was no chance of taking action against the organisers of the league.

“Living in a democratic set-up, we have some limitations. We have already done what we can, giving a warning to those players who are willing to join the ICL,” he said while talking to Dawn from India on Wednesday.

Rejecting the impression that the BCCI was to take a big step against the organisers of the ICL, including moving court, Shetty said the board was not considering such an option.

“We have warned all international and national players that the ICL activities are not approved by the BCCI and the International Cricket Council,” he said.

Shetty added the BCCI had sacked former Test captain Kapil Dev from the Indian Cricket Academy for working with the ICL.

“We can take steps according to the rules and regulations,” he said.

The ICL has been introduced by a TV network based in India, offering lucrative financial packages to the players all over the world.

Various cricket boards have expressed similar views against the ICL. But several prominent players from different countries have joined it, including Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Brian Lara and four Pakistan players – Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat.