DHEERAJ Jadhav, the middle-order batsman from Maharashtra, has spent three frustrating seasons trying to get the big break. In 2004, he scored more than 1,200 runs in the Ranji Trophy. In 2005 he scored heavily in the Duleep and for India A. In 2006, he on his mother’s advice even consulted a numerologist to change his luck. But he never quite made it.

Jadhav, 29, ended the 2006 season with a sad realisation that the India cap might just be out of his reach.
The year 2007 could be different for him. Jadhav faces an option, but along with it comes a dilemma. The option is the upcoming Indian Cricket League (ICL), a brainchild of Zee Telefilms, whose USP is to give an opportunity to the likes of Jadhav — who despite being talented failed to graduate.

The dilemma is that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn’t approved ICL. Not just that, the board has decided to slam the door on whoever associates himself with the ICL in whatever capacity.

But despite the dilemma, the ICL has created an air of excitement. It is time for players to decide where their loyalties lie. While Jadhav contemplates, former players like Kapil Dev, Kiran More and Sandeep Patil have already joined the ICL. As More says: “It isn’t a confrontation, it is something as normal as changing a job.”

For the former stars it has been easier since they had to choose between the honorary status that they had in the BCCI fold and the mega bucks that ICL has promised. Though the figures on ICL contracts is classified information, but there is talk that Zee Telefilms has promised up to Rs 12 crore for the big stars. Suddenly, the BCCI’s pension has become an insignificant emolument.

... contd.