NEW DELHI, Sept 13: Indian cricket authorities on Thursday paraded superstars Glenn McGrath and Stephen Fleming at the launch of international and domestic Twenty20 leagues to counter a rival group.The Indian Premier League (IPL) will be made up of franchised teams under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Vice-President Lalit Modi told reporters here.

The BCCI also announced an international Champions Twenty20 League featuring top two clubs from Australia, South Africa, England and India.

Eight teams each will play in domestic competitions in Australia, England, South Africa and India, with the top two sides making it to the Champions League.

The Champions tournament, devised on the lines of the Champions football league, will be a nine-day affair and played in two divisions in October next year. It will feature 12 group matches, semi-finals and final.

The Champions League carries a prize money of $5 million, while the Indian Cricket League (ICL) offers $3 million.

India’s famed veterans Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Saurav Ganguly were also present at the glitzy announcement in a posh hotel in the Indian capital.

The BCCI is embroiled in a bitter row with rival ICL, which is due to start in October after signing up international and domestic cricketers for a Twenty20 tournament of its own.

With the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship underway in South Africa, the BCCI has swiftly embraced the new form of the game which it had largely ignored until the ICL emerged in April with an ambitious plan to break the mould.

Fleming was axed as New Zealand Test captain on Wednesday after a decade in favour of one-day skipper Daniel Vettori, while former Australian paceman McGrath quit international cricket this year with 563 wickets in 124 Tests.

Their presence was supported by cricket officials from most the Test nations as well as Ray Mali, President of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Retired Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne also confirmed his association with the new leagues, said Modi.

“The ICC fully supports the initiative of the BCCI in launching the IPL and the Champions Twenty20 League in conjunction with the boards of Australia, South Africa and England,” Mali said. “Twenty20 is the way to go. It will not interfere with either Test or one-day cricket.”

Indian cricket chief Sharad Pawar said the new initiative would not only alter the course of Indian cricket, but also of world cricket.

“The new leagues will give tremendous stability to players who have devoted their entire lives to the game,” he said.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) welcomed the news of the Twenty20 Champions League which will offer counties from England and Wales a chance to compete.

Chief Executive of the ECB David Collier said: “The ECB is delighted and congratulates the BCCI on launching the IPL to complement the domestic competitions run by the ECB, Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia.”—AFP