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The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is a cricket league set to run in parallel with BCCI-run tournaments in India. Contrary to common perception, the ICL is not a breakaway league but an entirely new entity.

The roots of the ICL lies in the same issue as those of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket: discontent over TV rights. The Essel Group¹s Zee TV believed it got a raw deal in the allocation of Indian cricket¹s TV rights last time around, when despite making the highest bid, Zee was denied the rights for want of experience in sport broadcasting. The ICL is a joint venture between the Essel Group and Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS), and is seen by many as Essel head Subhash Chandra Goel's attempt to get back at the BCCI.

On April 3, 2007 the Essel Group announced the league, saying that the BCCI had failed to create "a reserve pipeline of players", and that the idea behind the league was to create an "ideal pool with killing instinct". They were quick to add that the ICL was not in conflict with the BCCI, and the board would be free to draw from the ICL's talent pool.