Srinagar: Billed as a major event to unearth new cricket talent from Kashmir, the Indian Heaven Premier League (IHPL) has turned out to be a scam as the organizers have fled, leaving several former international stars like Chris Gayle stranded in a hotel here due to non-payment of bills.
The IHPL, which began here amid huge fanfare in the last week of October, was organized by the Mohali-based Yuva Society.
Huge billboards featuring former cricketers like Gayle, Devon Smith, Jesse Ryder, and Shakib-al-Hassan came up at several places across the city, announcing that these megastars will play alongside the local players in the league, which was scheduled to end on November 8.
However, the abrupt stop of IHPL left approximately 40 players, umpires, and other officials stranded in hotels with no clarity of what would happen in the coming days, according to a HT report. The tournament had eight teams with around 70 players, umpires, and non-cricketing staff.
The development of the organizers fleeing without clearing the dues came to light when a senior official at The Residency Hotel, where most participants told the media about the same. An English umpire at IHPL, Mellissa Juniper, also echoed the same.
While it is being reported that a lot of cricketers, officials and other staff are still stranded, there has been no concrete information on who all exactly are stranded among the international stars. The report stated that Gayle is believed to have already checked out of the hotel on Saturday after sensing some issues with the organizers and the tournament.
Parvez Rasool, who became the only cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to have played for India, according to a NDTV report, revealed that some international players were briefly stopped from leaving their accommodations until the issue into the hands of foreign diplomatic channels.
Local reports stated that the IHPL roster confirmed 32 international players but it was the matches involving Gayle that drew crowds. The two-time T20 World Cup champion, Gayle, even made a video promoting the league with an aim to have at least 25000 to 30000 spectators in each game at the Bakshi Stadium.
