On November 2, the 10th day of the Indian Heaven’s Premier League cricket event in Srinagar, more than 50 players, including big names like former Indian pacer Praveen Kumar, were dealt a rude shock. The players, who were not paid by the organisers, wanted to leave, but the hotel staff did not let them out, citing unpaid bills worth Rs 51 lakh. Word spread among the players that two retired foreign stars who featured in the league – Chris Gayle and New Zealander Jesse Ryder – had already left the country that morning.
The IHPL was a private cricket league organized by a group called Yuva Society Mohali at the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, and its organizers allegedly left the city without paying money to the players, match officials, commentators and the hotel.
Praveen Kumar narrated the sequence of events to Indian Express“Everything was normal, until suddenly there was a panic that the league organizers were not responding to the calls, and there were doubts about the evening’s match. Then someone said that Gael and Ryder had returned by plane. Many players did not receive their salaries, so some decided to move out of the hotel.”
Another player, Ishwar Pandey, who played for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, said: “Some players were shouting at the hotel staff. Between 11:30 am and 5:30 pm, no players or team officials were allowed to leave.”
IHPL is described on its website as “India’s new cricket movement that unites sports, youth and tourism in the heart of Jammu and Kashmir”. Since it is a private league, it does not come under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association or the Indian Cricket Board. Players are approached and signed through agents, and the team is purchased through the franchise, if there is one. Apart from Gayle and Ryder, the league included other players from abroad such as Richard Levy from South Africa and Thisara Perera from Sri Lanka.
It was learned that the collapse began after the lack of crowd attendance at the stadium. Sources said that the organizers signed international players for the first few matches, hoping that they would attract fans. “But since people were not attending in large numbers, the organizers felt that the league was not financially viable. Since the players were not getting paid, they also refused to play,” a source said. He added: “Then the organizers suggested skipping the group matches and playing the semi-finals directly, but the players refused to participate until their salaries were paid.”
The repercussions were swift. Former first-class player Ashu Dhani, who worked as a liaison between organizers and players, has been sacked from his job as chairman of the Delhi Men’s Junior Cricket Selection Committee by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
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“DDCA has decided to remove Danny from the position of Chairman of the Selection Committee for Men’s Junior Teams, U-19 and U-16,” said Ashok Sharma, Secretary, DDCA. Indian Express. In an official letter, DDCA interim CEO and Managing Director RR Singh has warned players, coaches, support staff and match officials against being part of unauthorized leagues.
Danny did not respond to calls and messages. Ishwar Pandey explained how he and others were recorded. He said: “Normally, what happens is that the Indian player gets 10% of the signing amount, and 50% of the money is paid when the tournament starts, and the rest later. But we got only 10%. Such tournaments are held on the basis of referring players to each other. So one of the players called me, and I said yes. When we came here, everything was going well, but suddenly things started when no money was paid.”
Mushtaq Chhaya, owner of the Radisson Blu Hotel, where the events took place on October 2, said they still owe Rs 51,000. “They (organisers) booked our hotel for the entire tournament, and the agreement was for 1,800 rooms during this period. Of that, they actually got between 800 and 900 rooms,” Chaya said.
Chaya said they contacted the organizers by phone and informed them that the payments would be settled, but that did not happen.
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Ankit Rajput, a former Uttar Pradesh player, said the situation came to light when English referee Melissa Juniper contacted the British embassy to raise her concerns. “We heard she called the embassy. Then the police came.” After police intervention, the players and others were able to leave.
On the eve of the tournament, Nuzhat Gul, secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, an independent body engaged in “promoting sports and building infrastructure”, described the event as a “defining moment” in a television interview.
Gul said when contacted on Tuesday Indian Express“We want to support sports initiatives because our biggest goal is to engage the youth. Unfortunately, this was a bad business model. The timing of the league was wrong, and the weather was cold, so after 6pm, people did not want to watch cricket at Bakshi Stadium. When the tickets were not sold, the sponsors pulled out. As a representative of the government, I was happy that a cricket league with a player like Chris Gayle was being held in Srinagar. In the future, we will conduct more checks and balances.” Goel maintained that the J&K Sports Council neither entered into any kind of collaboration nor received any funding from the event promoters.
A few weeks ago, in a promotional video, Caribbean star Gayle said: “Srinagar, what’s up? Chris Gayle, the boss of the universe himself. I’ve got some exciting news.” Ten days later, news spread about broken promises and a broken contract.
(tags for translation) Indian Premier League
