Players unpaid, hotel bills pending: Cricket league that brought international stars to Srinagar ends in chaos | India News

But on Saturday morning, the players were informed that today’s match had been canceled for “technical reasons.” The players and match officials were surprised on Sunday morning when employees of the hotel where they were staying informed them that the organizers had left the city without paying for their rooms.

“The hotel management informed us in the morning,” Melissa Juniper, an England Cricket Board official who was the tournament referee, told reporters in Srinagar. “No payment was made to any of us.”

The league was organized by a group called Yuva Society Mohali. On its website, it described IHPL as “India’s new cricket movement that unites sports, youth and tourism in the heart of Jammu and Kashmir”.

The website says: “It is more than just a league, it is an experience that blends entertainment, opportunity and culture.”

Another official, who was also a league referee, said he was asked to bring international players and referees for the tournament. “We have got three West Indies players – Devin Smith, Craig Williams and Gary Mathurin,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “This is neither good for the cricket league nor for Srinagar nor for the country.”

One of the league participants said that several international players had already left the Kashmir Valley after receiving hints that something was wrong.

The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council has distanced itself from the cricket league, with an official saying that they only provide the ground and have no other involvement.

It was not possible to contact the league organizers for comment, as the phone numbers associated with them were closed.