The BCCI has complained to the International Cricket Council (ICC) about its cricket committee chief and ex-West Indies captain Clive Lloyd for suggesting talks to merge the Indian Cricket League (ICL) with the mainstream.

Lloyd had said the ICL and the official Indian Premier League could work together. "I am hoping that the IPL and ICL will co-exist. There's nothing like having a discussion to break the ice," he was quoted by the media as saying at a promotional event on Wednesday.

An ICC spokesman confirmed on Friday the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has lodged a complaint. "The CEO (Haroon Lorgat) has received an email from the BCCI," he said by phone from its Dubai headquarters.

The BCCI has banned ICL players from official tournaments and launched its own multi-million dollar version, IPL, last year.

It held talks with ICL last month after the league officials petitioned the ICC but announced they had failed and submitted a report to the ruling body.

The BCCI complaint comes after former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar stepped down in May in controversial circumstances to end an eight-year tenure with Lloyd succeeding him.

Gavaskar quit after he was asked by the ICC to choose between the job and his role as a paid media pundit after concerns about a conflict of interest.