Dubai: Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne, two of the biggest legends of the game, visited the International Cricket Council (ICC) office on Wednesday to share the blueprint of their Twenty20 competition with the governing body of the game.
While Warne has been tweeting about the event and Tendulkar making subtle statements of his return to action soon, it is now confirmed the two legends are planning to stage a top-class tournament for cricketers who have recently retired from the game.
Confirming to Gulf News that Tendulkar and Warne visited the ICC office, a spokesperson said: “They visited the ICC by afternoon today and held talks with some of the officials regarding their tournament. It was mainly to understand the strategy to be followed in hosting such a tournament. They also wanted to know the procedures to approach the member boards.”
Tendulkar and Warne posed in front of Dubai Marina’s Address Hotel and Warne tweeted the picture, saying: “Exciting meeting with the ICC. Game on.”
It is understood that Warne and Tendulkar have approached 28 former players with contracts worth around $30,000 (Dh110,190) per match to play in the league. The names they have roped in include Australia’s Brett Lee, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath; England’s Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff and South African Jacques Kallis.
Incidentally, Kallis and Gilchrist also figure in the Masters Champions League, to he held in the UAE next February.
Most of the cricketers that Warne and Tendulkar have approached are players who have retired only recently to ensure the competition is of high standard.
According to some reports these matches may be held in cash-rich countries with the first series to be held in the US during September. New York, Los Angeles and Chicago where a lot of Asian reside may stage the matches. The league may also be held in UAE, though other countries such as Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong are also potential venues for the event.
The two legends have approached BCCI, Cricket Australia and ECB for their approval.
A formal announcement and a launch is expected within the next two months. With Tendulkar and Warne having met the ICC, the launch may happen even earlier.
