'Not under our jurisdiction' - ICC responds to BCCI's request to not recognise Kashmir Premier League

The Kashmir Premier League (KPL) has made a lot of noise over the last couple of days. Former South Africa cricketer Herschelle Gibbs slamming the Board for Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for threatening him to not participate in the KPL on Twitter started it all. This followed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also releasing an official statement and expressing its disappointment.

The Indian board has already made its stance clear on the league. It has warned the players and cricket boards from taking part in the T20 tournament. BCCI has also said that any former player featuring in the league will be banned from the cricketing activities in India.

“While asking the boards not to allow their players to take part in the Kashmir league, we have informed them that in case they do, they can’t be part of any cricketing activity in India. We have done this keeping national interest in mind. We have no problems with those playing the Pakistan Super League (PSL) but this is a league in PoK. We are toeing our government’s line,” the BCCI official had said.

National boards have right to sanction tournaments

The inaugural edition of the KPL is set to commence on August 6 with the Pakistan cricketers like Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi among others set to take part. BCCI had also earlier objected to the tournament as it will be played in Muzaffarabad – the disputed land in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). With the KPL coming under the PCB’s jurisdiction, the board has the right to approve the tournament and not the ICC.

KPL has the got approval of the PCB and the competition is expected to go ahead. “The tournament is not under ICC’s jurisdiction as it is not an international cricket tournament,” an ICC spokesperson said while speaking to Geo TV. Also, the cricketing body can only intervene if the matches are to take place in the associate member’s territory.