Is APL is Going to be Empty Vessel that Sounds a Lot?

You know that last month, there was a lot of buzz in the media about American Premier League (APL). An American sports company is going to arrange it and they have already stated that six teams are going to play in it. There will be teams on the name of countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and West Indies. The organizers are hoping that there are a lot of people from South Asia and West Indies in USA. So, there is a market already exists for watching cricket on television and in the stadium. They have already promised that some big international cricketers are going to play.

 However, until now, we have not heard the name of any big player except perhaps Inzamam-ul-Haq. Richard Hadlee has also joined this venture. APL owner recently said that there had been a lot of offer for sponsorship from different companies because APL will attract many people of South Asian origin living in USA. However, what I feel is that all the things that have been said are very vake and unclear. There have been no specific names of companies or TV channels or even sponsorship bids. We still do not know which players from India are going to play in the event. We also do not know whether any current cricket player will also play there.

American Premier League Causing havoc in New Zealand Cricket

New Zealand cricket got divested by Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2008. What happened was that some top players like Shane Bond joined ICL and it made the New Zealand international cricket team very weak. It seems that NZ cricket is now going suffer another blow. You might have already know that American Premier League is going to take place this October in New York and the organizers behind it are trying their best to ensure the participation of legendary figures. They have already got one from the Kiwis- Sir Richard Hadlee. Hadlee is undoubtedly the greatest player of all time from his country.

Since Hadless has joined American Premier League, it is clear that he will try to find some quality players from New Zealand. ICC has not given any official recognition to this tournament and I think that ICC will not give any recognition because then they will be under pressure to do something about ICL.

American Premier League (APL): Twenty20 Craze Now in USA?

From the title, you can guess that I am going to talk about Twenty20 cricket tournament on American soil. Twenty20 cricket has already emerged as the new tool to spread cricket over the world in what would make it a global sport. Indian Cricket League (ICL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) have already caught up the attention of India’s cricket crazy fans. Now, the glitz and glamour of Twenty20 cricket seems to be entertaining cricket fans living in USA. Jay Mir, the CEO of American Sports And Entertainment Group Inc, has taken an initiative to organize a tournament titled American Premier League (APL) in the frame of IPL. The tournament is reportedly expected to be held on a converted baseball field situated in Staten Island, New York in October.

Jay Mir said that there could be six international teams in the tournament: Premium Pakistan, Premium Indians, Premium West Indies, Premium World and Premium America. Mr. Mir hopes that the tournament would stir up a cricket revolution in the country where cricket is mainly popular among the South Asian community. Mir has already deployed an agent in England to form a squad for World XI. Moreover, negotiation is going on with Richie Richardson, former captain of West Indies, who is expected to be recruiter as well as coach of West Indies team.

However, USACA secretary, John Aaron, thinks that October is not a right time to play cricket in New York. Besides the excitement of Twenty20 cricket, American cricket fans can also enjoy the state-of-the-art facilities of the stadium located in Staten Island, New York which has 10,000 spectators. Cricket fans can see the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River from the stadium.

Jay Mir has already been in talks with some of ICL’s Pakistani players including Inzamam-ul-Haq and there is a possibility that a number of Pakistani players who have contracts with ICL could also appear in American Premier League. However, they would first see if their ICL contracts allow them to join APL. It has been hinted from ICL that if there is no clash with ICL schedule, ICL players can take part in any tournament.

Cricket may not be a popular game in America, but a big South Asian community ensures a big lucrative market for cricket in the country. So, the idea of American Premier League (APL) could be a success story for the organizers and it could be conducive for the development of cricket in the country.