The encyclopedia · Strategy & Leadership · Strategic decision · 2007–2009
Zee launched the ICL first — then the BCCI launched the IPL over it
Zee's Indian Cricket League invented franchise T20 cricket in 2007; the BCCI refused to sanction it, banned its players — and outspent it with the IPL.
Indian Cricket League · Zee Entertainment Enterprises · 2009
What happened
In 2007 Zee Entertainment Enterprises — the broadcaster behind Zee TV — announced the Indian Cricket League, a private Twenty20 competition bankrolled by chairman Subhash Chandra and fronted by former India captain Kapil Dev. It recruited retired international stars, hired foreign board members, and built its own infrastructure: grounds, groundsmen, floodlights. The first season began in November 2007.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India refused to recognise the league, branded its participants 'rebels' and barred them from national selection; the ICC said it would follow the BCCI's lead. The ICL won a Delhi High Court ruling against BCCI interference in August 2007, but the board had a bigger weapon: it announced its own franchise league, the Indian Premier League, which launched in April 2008 and immediately absorbed the sponsors, broadcasters and players the ICL needed.
Then the money ran out. On 12 February 2009 the ICL cancelled its March tournament, citing the global financial crisis and faltering advertising revenues; a promised relaunch never came. In April 2009 the BCCI offered amnesty to ICL players, and they withdrew en masse. The league spoke of an October 2009 season that never happened, and quietly folded — leaving the IPL to inherit the format the ICL had proved.
Why it happened
- The league launched without the sanction of the body that controlled players, grounds and national selection — every input it needed could be withheld.
- The BCCI did not just ban the ICL; it built the IPL, outbidding the rebels for the very product they had invented.
- Chandra's bet was funded from advertising revenue — when the recession hit, the league's cash ran out before its case did.
The lesson
The ICL proved franchise T20 cricket could work, then watched the regulator take the format, the players and the money. When the gatekeeper owns the supply, being first only funds their entry.
Aftermath
Zee sold its sports broadcasting assets to Sony in 2016. The IPL, built on the format the ICL had demonstrated, became one of the richest sports leagues in the world.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Indian Cricket League (ran 2007–2009, sponsored by Zee Entertainment Enterprises; two seasons, four international and nine domestic teams; BCCI refused recognition, branded participants 'rebels', barred them from national teams; ICC would not recognise it without BCCI; Kapil Dev sacked as NCA chairman 21 August 2007 over his ICL role; Delhi High Court ruled for ICL 27 August 2007; BCCI launched IPL in April 2008; April 2009 BCCI amnesty led to mass player withdrawals; league faced cash crunch from the Great Recession; October 2009 season never happened)
- The Guardian, 12 February 2009 — Rebel Indian Twenty20 league hit by economic crisis (March 2009 tournament cancelled; global financial crisis cited as part cause; founder Subhash Chandra, Zee TV chairman, countering faltering advertising revenues; board member Dean Jones: 'The financial crisis played a part. But the ICL will be played later in the year'; Paul Nixon: Chandra had spent 'a huge amount' on grounds, groundsmen and floodlights; Chandra considering an annual November tournament that never materialised)
- Wikipedia — Essel Group (launched the Indian Cricket League, two seasons 2007–2009; the league failed to gain traction; in 2016 the group sold its sports broadcasting assets to Sony)
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