So the rehabilitation of the ICL players is complete and now only acceptance remains; that and the removal of the tag which time should easily accomplish. My fear is that within the state bodies, some of them at any rate, acceptance may take longer. Other players may have fitted into slots but administrators who had ranged against each other might present the greater hurdle. It is the IPL, run by private enterprise and where baggage counts for little, that might be more forthcoming. We now know that it is largely the strength of the Indian players that gives a team its depth and there is a pretty decent crop that has become available. In the market place, and I do not use the term in a derogatory manner, fresh fruit has become available and it will find buyers.

For those players this represents the opportunity of a lifetime—not just the IPL but all of Indian cricket. A lot of those players will be hungry, eager to cast off the tag of little league players and they would have grown substantially in two years. When doors are shutting on you and when darkness beckons even a sliver of light brings hope. These players have known what it is to contemplate life without cricket and with their lifeline within reach they will swim harder to get there. At any rate they should because you squander life’s lessons at your own peril.

And therefore the ICL might still end up doing good to Indian cricket. They had always tried to position it as a league that provided opportunity though that needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Nobody promotes philanthropy with an aggressive and competitive edge. But players did emerge and if some of them can go the distance, Indian cricket might come out stronger.

... contd.