MUMBAI, Aug 28: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday ruled out recognising an unofficial multi-million dollar league in India until it was approved by the country’s cricket administration.

Chief Executive of the ICC Malcolm Speed said the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) needed support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) before it could be considered a legitimate series.“The BCCI is the only body recognised by the ICC to run official cricket in India,” Speed said. “We have not got any application from the ICL for recognition yet, but we have already have a five-step process to decide on such issues.”

The ICC needed to know if the series was being run for the development of the game, who were the players involved and if they were contracted to their parent bodies, when and where was the series to be played and if anti-corruption measures had been put in place, added Speed.“In the last stage we ask applicants if the member board of the country had approved it,” he stated. “If the answer is no, we would not give it our recognition.”

Speed cited the example of a tournament that was planned in the US last year which was shot down by the ICC for not fulfilling the required criteria.

The breakaway ICL, bankrolled by media baron Subhash Chandra who owns India’s largest listed media company Zee Telefilms, plans to hold Twenty20 tournaments featuring city teams for the next three years.

The ICL officials said they had signed up seven international stars and 44 Indian first-class cricketers, adding that more top players from around the world were expected to join.

Former Test captains Brian Lara of the West Indies and Inzamam-ul-Haq of Pakistan lead the ICL list that also includes Pakistanis Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat and South Africans Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje.

No member of the Indian team currently touring England has been linked with the ICL which plans to hold the inaugural event later this year.

The BCCI has not recognised the ICL and said that any player aligning with the rebel series will not be eligible for national selection.

The ICL last week filed a suit against the official body in a Delhi court, saying the BCCI was a private body and could not have monopoly over running cricket in India. —AFP