We first had MoYo.

Then we got YoYo.

Then came HaHa.

And today we bring to you RaRa!

Last ICL season, Ra denied the Lahore Badshahs the championship, despite all the efforts of the other Ra.

On opposite sides, Ra and Ra were at each other throats during the finals of the ICL 20-20 Championship - last season as well as this season.

In the 1st final this season, Ra smashed Ra all over the park before Ra got his wicket and dished out some abusive remarks.

Tempers flared between Ra nd Ra. Ra complained but no one listened.

In the 2nd final Ra clean bowled Ra and the contest stood even.

They did not cross paths in the 3rd final but stayed away from each other when handshakes were exchanged.

And then in true bollywood style, they were brought together in the ICL World Series as part of the ICL Pakistanis.

In today's must win game they were set an imposing target of 189 by the World XI, and were soon 2 down with only 38 on the board.

That's when Ra and Ra came together.

74 deliveries, 133 runs, 19 boundaries, 4 sixes, a record partnership, and a joint man of the match award later Ra and Ra became RaRa!

Starting today there will be 20-20 cricket in your face everyday for the next two and a half weeks.

Its not international 20-20 cricket by the way, its club cricket, for the lack of a better way of describing it.

Never before has club cricket been covered by the media in the way it is now. Or rather since 20-20 cricket went commercial with a bunch of leagues.

Those who think 20-20 cricket is not changing the cricket world, need to stop and ponder again.

A test series is being played in Australia, which I believe is being covered on TV only in Australia. Maybe in England. But I can't watch it here in Dubai, nor can anyone watch it in the wider Middle East, nor in Pakistan. I'm not sure about India.

Another test series is being played in South Africa. Oh you weren't aware? Yeah I thought so. For that is not being shown anywhere on TV it seems. Not here in Dubai, not in Pakistan, and from Soulberry's comment on his post, niether in India.

An ODI series is being played out in India. That I can watch and have watched. The TV coverage is great but the series is 4 matches too long I reckon. The English have probably lost interest already. Maybe the Indians as well. Or maybe not with Sachin returning to the fold today - perfect timing to keep the interest alive!

Oh and international cricket has returned to Zimbabwe after a long time. But does anyone care? The matches are just as good as 20-20 cricket anyway, with niether of the 2 ODIs lasting over 3-4 hours.

With a few uninteresting international series being played coupled with international cricket that is not being televised, it would not surprise me, or rather it would surprise me if the ICL World Series starting today followed by the 20-20 Champions League kicking off on December 1st don't generate more interest.

Atleast in the subcontinent, which by the way is 80% of the cricket viewing public.

The ICL World Series will be televised all over the subontinent, in the Middle East, and in England.

With the Lahore Badshahs capturing the imagination of a number of fans all over the world, their return to the field in the form of ICL Pakistan XI, will definitely rouse some interest.

And this time they've got Abdul Razzak on their side too.

Rana & Razzak in the same team? That's some viewing.

The ICL World Series also involves teams from India and Bangladesh, and a World XI.

While the ICL Bangladesh XI played as the Dhaka Warriors in the just concluded ICL 20-20 Championsip, the India XI and World XI puts together the best performers of that ICL tournament.

ICL India XI is being led by R. Sathish and includes the likes of Stuart Binny, Rohan Gavaskar, Abbas Ali, Ambati Rayudu, and RS Sodhi.

Whereas the ICL World XI is captained by Chris Harris and comprises of Damien Martyn, Jason Gillespie, Ian Harvey, Lance Klusener, Justin Kemp, Marvan Atapattu, and others.

ICL India are the defending champions, however ICL Pakistan should be the favorites going into the World Series.

The team that played as the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL 20-20 Championship, and won that tournament, was by far the strongest team on display.

With Imran Nazir & Imran Farhat at the top, Inzamam and Yousuf in the middle, Rana & Razzak in fiery form with the ball, and Saqlain inventing new deliveries in every match, there should be little the World, India, and Bangladesh teams would be able to do.

But stranger things have happened in cricket.

Even more so in 20-20 cricket.

I reckon it will be a tournament worth watching.

As will be the 20-20 Champions League that kicks off a day after the World Series ends.

That will be televised all over the world - India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, England, the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong, and everywhere else where cricket is watched.

Not only that, but international cricket will come to a standstill as domestic teams from 5 test playing countries go up against each other.

To read more on the Champions League, see this and this.

And then they say that 20-20 cricket will not have an impact on test cricket.

Its already been taken off TV!

When we went to watch the 2nd ODI between Pakistan and the West Indies dressed in white t-shirts with the letters P A K I S T A N painted on them, we also carried with us several banners.

One such banner was this one.

At that time it was something we had talked about, thinking out aloud about who would win and how the players would fare against each other if such a match up ever took place.

With the ICL considered a rebel league and the players taking part in it banned by national boards, none of us really thought such a match would take place.

Though it ran through all our imaginations.

I talked about the two teams, as did Jrod, while NC had a completely different take on it.

Even then, no one really thought it would happen.

Or did we?

Whether we did or not doesn't matter anymore for Inzamam Ul Haq has come out openly and challenged the Pakistan international team to a match.

Pakistan vs Lahore Badshahs!

Inzamam wants it. Yousuf wants it. The Badshahs want it. We want it.

But does the PCB want it?

Will Shoaib Malik accept the challenge?

With Inzamam's recent meetings and conference calls with Ijaz Butt indicating that the bans on Pakistan's ICL players will be lifted, such a match is very much a possibility.

Who do you think will come out on top?

Pakistan or Lahore Badshahs?

Irrespective, I think it will be one charged up contest with a number of players looking to settle some scores.

If you thought the Badshahs vs Heroes game was a heated one, wait till you see this!

The Lahore Badshahs take on the Hyderabad Heroes for the ICL bragging rights tonight. With the best of 3 finals tied at 1-1, the winner takes all in tonight's match.

There is a lot of history between the two sides, which makes today's match even more compelling.

Rewind to November 2007 when the first ever ICL tournament kicked off.

The Hyderabad Heroes team in that tournament was captained by Inzamam Ul Haq and coached by Moin Khan. The team included Abdul Razzak, Azhar Mahmood, Chris Harris, Nicky Boje, Ambati Rayudu, Shahabuddin, Ibrahim Khaleel, IS Reddy, Alfred Absolom, and others.

The Heroes didn't win much in that tournament.

Fast Forward to March 2008 and the 2nd edition of the ICL 20-20 Championship kicked off.

A dozen and a half Pakistani cricketers had joined the ICL and there was a new team playing the tournament - the Lahore Badshahs.

Inzamam, Azhar Mahmood, and Moin Khan had all moved from the Heroes and were part of the Badshahs now.

Razzak however, remained with the Heroes.

The Badshahs cruised through the group stages and entered the finals series unbeaten.

Up against the Heroes in the finals, the Badshahs stumbled for the first time in the competition.

They lost the 1st final by 6 runs and were down 1-0.

The 2nd final ended in a tie and the Badshahs' players failed to hit the stumps even once in the bowl out, hence conceding the ICL championship to the Hyderabad Heroes.

Inzamam and Moin Khan had lost out to a team they had captained and coached in the previous tournament.

And their main nemesis in both the finals was their old team mate Abdul Razzak who was also the player of the tournament.

Fast forward to October 2008 and 2nd season of the ICL kicked off with the 3rd edition of the ICL 20-20 Championship.

The tournament started with a rematch of the previous tournaments final and the Heroes were victorious once again on the basis of run rate as the match ended prematurely due to the lights of the stadium switching off 6 overs into the Badshahs innings.

The tournament went on, the Badshahs gained steam with every match, qualified for the semis, went past te Superstars in emphatic fashion, and then waited for the Heroes to join them yet again in a best of 3 finals.

In the 1st final, Abdul Razzak, a former team mate of the Badshahs and the one who had denied them the title in the previous tournament, yet again proved to be the thorn between the Badshahs and a victory.

Tempers flared as Razzak smashed his way to 69. The Badshah bowlers seemed flustered by Razzak's onslaught and the casual taunting by Razzak got under the skin of Rana Naveed and other bowlers.

But this time the Badshahs were not going to stumble.

Despite an imposing total of 170, the Badshahs raced to their target with 5 balls to spare.

The Badshahs were 1 up but they had to win 1 more match.

Come the day of the 2nd final and tension between the 2 sides was evident.

The Badshahs wanted to win badly and not repeat the same mistakes of the previous tournament.

The Heroes wanted a 2nd title and were not going to fall without a fight.

158 should have been an easy target for the Badshahs but Abdul Razzak, their enemy number 1, shook them up with 2 early crucial wickets.

The Badshahs were rocked and were staring at defeat with the scoreboard reading 87-6.

Their innings ended at 150 but not without drama. Sami, batting on 18 and looking good, smashed Boje to the long off boundary. Kemp running around took a stunning one handed catch while still in air.

The catch was cleanly taken but the Badshahs thought otherwise.

For a minute it seemed like Oval 2006 but this time sense prevailed over Inzamam and the match continued but not before some foul verbal exchanges between Azhar Mahmood and Steve Rixon, the Heroes' coach.

Come today and the teams go one on one in the 3rd and last final of the series.

With so much history, stress, tension, and drama between the Badshahs and the Heroes, you should expect nothing less than a totally charged up contest.

A contest that even the rivalry of two international sides cannot match.

For Pakistan fans who had been craving cricket all this time, they suddenly seem to be spoilt for choices.

As the Pakistan international team gets ready to take on the millionnaires in a 3 ODI series in Abu Dhabi, the Lahore Badshahs gear up for the ICL finals for the 2nd time in as many seasons.

Between tomorrow and Sunday the Pakistan fans can witness 3 ODIs and a best of 3 finals series of a 20-20 competition, both involving the biggest names in cricket from Pakistan.

On one hand you can witness Salman Butt continue his good run of form along with the extremely talented Khurram Manzoor or Khalid Latif, both who have great futures ahead of them; while on the other you can witness the two Imrans, Nazir and Farhat, tear apart bowling attacks like they have all season.

For Pakistan it will be a challenge filling the gap in the middle order created by Mohammad Yousuf, whereas the Badshahs are glowing with Yousuf and Inzamam creating the magic of old for them.

The way Inzamam blasted the Superstars' attack last night reminded me of an innings he played in another semi-final 16 years ago. In this form, you don't want to miss the big man in action!

For Pakistan, Malik, Misbah, and Younis will look to stand up to be counted as their predecessors try and bring the ICL trophy to Pakistan.

Rana Naveed has been in tremendous form for the Badshahs, both with the bat and ball. He has been in devastating form batting up the order, and with the ball he has created magic reversing like the Waqar Younis of old.

Rana is the man to watch out for in he ICL semi-finals.

On the international front, Shoaib Akhtar's return to the side will be viewed with great interest. If he can remain fit and committed as is being said by the team management, then all you fans out there are in for a treat.

Saqlain Mushtaq has been developing new deliveries everyday and has been at the forefront of the Badshah's campaign sitting 2nd on the top wicket takers list behind Rana. As he tries to spin a web for the Badshahs, Saeed Ajmal will be looking to do the same for Pakistan.

While Afridi will be waiting to entertain you with his hard hitting prowess against the West Indies, Azhar Mahmood would be eager to get a longer hit to do the same in the ICL finals.

Mohammad Sami and Shahid Nazir complete the pace attack for the Badshahs, and on the Pakistan front it will be Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir supporting the pace of Shoaib.

Whoever thought that talent in Pakistan was diminishing needs to think again.

If all of these play to their potential, we Pakistan cricket fans, are in for some great cricket over the next 6 days or so.

Stay tuned people!

Mohammad Yousuf, who "ditched" Pakistan for the Lahore Badshahs, kicked off his ICL stint on Friday with 3 boundaries in 3 deliveries before edging the ball to the keeper.

Yousuf began in emphatic fashion against the Dhaka Warriors on Friday as he walked to the crease at the fall of the 2nd wicket.

His first deivery was the first ball of the 5th over from the former Bangladesh pacer Tapash Baisya, which was cover driven in true Yousuf style.

No one looks more graceful when playing the cover drive than Yousuf.

The next delivery was hit past extra cover for another boundary, and the 3rd delivery was hit to the mid wicket fence as Yousuf raced to 12 runs of his first 3 deliveries in the ICL.

His ICL debut was shortlived though as Baisya induced an edge of the next delivery that went straight into Dhiman Ghosh's gloves.

Yousuf's next appearance, against the Chennai Superstars last night, was an ever more entertaining experience as his 4th wicket partnership with Inzamam Ul Haq provided nostalgic moments from the last decade.

Inzi and Yousuf have scripted a number of victories for Pakistan over the last 10 years and have been involved in a number of partnerships in the middle.

Last night was no different.

Inzi joined Yousuf in the 14th over with the Badshahs cruising on 141-3.

From there the pair added another 64 runs in only 6 overs to take the Badshahs to a match winning score of 211 in 20 overs.

Yousuf remained unbeaten on 40 off 28 deliveries that included 2 sixes and 3 boundaries, while Inzi scored 31 off 19 deliveries with a six and 4 hits to the fence.

The two will be in action again tonight against the Superstars in the 1st semi-final of the ICL 20-20 Championship.

The Lahore Badshahs entered the semi-finals of the ICL 20-20 Championship last night when they overcame the Chennai Superstars in a high scoring game.

Unlike last season when the Badshahs clean sweeped all opposition in the round games to qualify for the semis, this time round they lost a few matches in the beginning before bouncing back.

The lack of cricket for the Pakistani players before the ICL was blamed for the lacklustre performances when the tourament began.

But the Badshahs campaign soon caught up and they qualified for the semis ending the group stages with 5 wins and 3 losses, only behind the Hyderbabad Heroes in the points table.

The Heroes are the defending champions, who won the last tournament by beating the Badshahs in a bowl out in the 3rd final of a best of 3 finals series.

The Semi Final line up is:

Lahore Badshahs vs Chennai Superstars
Hyderabad Heroes vs Royal Bengal Tigers

The potential of a repeat of last year's final is very high and Inzamam's team would be looking for some sweet revenge this time round.

Tonight, the Badshahs and the Superstars go into a repeat performance of last night while the Heroes take on the Tiger tomorrow with the best of 3 finals starting from Thursday.

Now that the dust over Mohammad Yousuf's defection to the ICL has settled, and Pakistan's new team management has taken control, we can look ahead to their up coming ODI series in Abu Dhabi against the West Indies.

The Pakistan team lands in Abu Dhabi tonight after going through a 2-day training camp at the National Stadium in Karachi (see pictures).

The camp was supervised by the team's new management including coach Intikhab Alam, assistant coach Aqib Javed, and manager Yawar Saeed. Ijaz Ahmed, who is part of the new selection committee, was also present helping the players with fielding drills.

All the right messages seem to be coming out of the camp with Intikhab saying that the players have gelled well and that the team is raring to go.

While Yawar has talked about how well disciplined the players have been during the camp.

How good everything really is, will only be witnessed once Pakistan they take the field and return to ODI cricket after a gap of 5 months.

Their last outing was the Asia Cup, in which they failed to make the final and prior to that was the Kitply Cup, which they won beating India in the final.

The squad that has been selected by the new selection committee, after monitoring a few players in the Pentangular Cup, includes all the familiar faces, yet their seems to be a different look to the team, particularly due to the absence of Yousuf and presence of Shoaib Akhtar.

Lets take a look at the probable team composition.

THE OPENERS

Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif

Salman has over time become one of Pakistan's most dependable batsmen and he is going to Abu Dhabi after a good string of scores in the Pentangular Cup.

Intikhab has said that he would use specialist openers in the 3 ODIs against the Windies, which means that Nasir will most probably partner Salman at the top.

The Salman-Nasir combination showed a lot of promise during the Asia Cup this year. If the selectors show some patience and persist with them, Pakistan could finally boast of a strong opening pair.

Khalid has been drafted into the squad in place of Yousuf and why an opener was chosen to replace a middle order bat is beyond my understanding. Surely there are other promising middle order batsmen that could have been selected.

On top there are other openers such as Khurram Manzoor and Shoaib Khan, that have done better than Khalid in the domestic competitions. Khalid is no doubt a talented batsman, but he should defnitely be lower down the pekking order.

THE MIDDLE ORDER

Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Misbah Ul Haq

After over a decade and a half, Pakistan will go into an ODI without either of Inzamam or Yousuf in the starting XI. Inzamam and Yousuf have been the backbone of Pakistan's batting line up in the past, a role they are now fulfilling for the Lahore Badshahs.

Yousuf was Pakistan's highest scorer in ODIs this year and his absence leaves a glaring gap in the middle order. With him not there Younis, Misbah, and Malik will have to play more responsibly and stand up to be counted.

In this situation, I would rather see Younis bat at 4 with Malik coming in at number 3. Malik has always done better in the top 3, averaging more than he does lower down, and with him leading the side its high time he does so by leading from the front.

Younis has become increasingly dependable lately and his experience at the number 4 position would do Pakistan good in Yousuf's absence.

Misbah has batted mostly at 5 or 6 and I believe he should now look to make the number 5 position his own. The team management might be tempted to put him in at 4, but I think Misbah is a much better batsman near the end of an innings than he is at the start.

THE ALLROUNDERS

Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam

Afridi returned to some batting form during the Pentangular Cup with a few good innings, but I wouldn't look at those with any hope.

His leg spin is invaluable to the team and his presence gives the team a more aggressive look, which Pakistan badly need during these times. Afridi is a good option to have batting at number 7 or 8, but as I have always maintained, he needs to be treated like a bowler who can bat a bit.

With Yousuf gone, this series provides Fawad with the perfect opportunity to cement his place in the top 6. Though he is more of a batsman, I have put him in this category as he would be required to fill in as a 6th bowling option.

Intikhab is right in saying that Yousuf's absence provides chances to youngsters. Not only that, but in my view his absence gives Pakistan a more balanced look as well.

THE WICKETKEEPER

Kamran Akmal

Akmal would finally feel comfortable knowing that he will not be required to open the innings and he can settle into his role in the late order batting at 7 or 8.

Akmal returns to ODI cricket after Sarfraz did the job during the Asia Cup, lets hope his gloves don't have any holes in them anymore.

THE SPINNER

Saeed Ajmal

Ajmal made an impressive debut during the Asia Cup and is the most promising spinner to come out of Pakistan since Saqlain and Mushy were sidelined 5 years ago.

He is an attacking off spinner and even though he may not have a permanent place in the XI, his presence in the side gives Pakistan's bowling attack the much needed variety.

THE PACERS

Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Abdur Rauf, Ifitkhar Anjum

Shoaib Akhtar returns to the ODI side after over a year and this is being viewed with a lot of skepticism.

Only time will tell whether Shoaib is back in full form and fitness, as Intikhab has been mentioning, or is this just like his previous comebacks, which will be short lived due to some reason or the other.

For Pakistan's sake, lets hope its the former.

His presence does provide impetus to the Pakistan pace attack, but no one really knows what Shoaib is going to bring to the table this time round.

Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir were in tremendous form in the Pentangular Cup, however they will need to put in strong performances to shed the tag of being T20 bowlers.

With the team management putting all their faith behind Shoaib and also looking to recall Asif, Gul and Tanvir would need to step up their performances to remain permanent fixtures in the XI.

Abdur Rauf has had a promising start to his ODI career picking up 8 wickets in 3 matches. He was impressive in the Asia Cup and provides a good back up option to Pakistan.

Why Rao Iftikhar continues to be considered is beyond me. Sohail Khan should have been in the squad instead of him. The selectors continue to sideline Sohail for unknown reasons. He has been Pakistan's best bowler on the domestic scene and deserves a prolonged run with the team.

He might have benefited with Shoaib and Aqib's presence with the team, but the selectors thought otherwise.

THE TEAM

On paper the team looks like a well balanced outfit but we all know Pakistan better than that to give them any label.

As unpredictable as ever, the new management would be looking for positive results. Intikhab has talked about resolving the small rifts that existed in the team. If he is to be believed then the Windies need to watch their guard for there is nothing more dangerous than a united Pakistan team.

Malik will for the first time have more say in the playing XI than he has had before so it will be interesting to see what combination he plays, but I think for now the starting XI does choose itself in the form of:

Salman, Nasir, Malik, Younis, Misbah, Alam, Akmal, Afridi, Tanvir, Gul, Shoaib.

I would like to see this batting order as well, however Malik would probably persist with Younis at 3 followed by Misbah and himself. That could be disastrous.

Saeed Ajmal's inclusion remains a dilemma as going in with 2 pacers is not an option, niether is him replacing Afridi unless Malik thinks so. Fawad could be the one to miss out if Saeed is to play but that would weaken the batting. It will be interesting to see how Malik handles this.

The team management has to fill in a number of roles and their task is cut out.

Everything will fall into place over the next few days as Pakistan land in Abu Dhabi today, hold their practice sessions tomorrow and on Tuesday, and then take the field on Wednesday.

Surrey have released Saqlain Mushtaq, who served the county for 11 years, in order to sign Harbhajan Singh.

Due to Saqlain's ICL links, the BCCI had not allowed Harbhajan to sign with Surrey for this last season.

However, the Surrey boss has now made it clear that they will not be going into the next season with an ICL player on board and that this will also allow them to sign up Harbhajan Singh.

Hence Saqlain, who plays for the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL, has been released from his contract.

I guess the world is still far away from accepting ICL players, and I thought we were moving closer to that.

So where does this leave Mushtaq Ahmed, who also plays for the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL, as England's spin coach?

I think a more consistent approach is required from the ECB. Surely the counties' and the ECB's interests should be aligned.

The Lahore Badshahs are playing the Mumbai Champs as I write and the last 10 ball sequence has been:

4 4 4 6 6 6 4 6 6 4

And Imran Farhat just got out after scoring 21 off 8 deliveries. He was the one who hit the 2 4s and 2 6s.

The previous over that went for 30 runs was faced by Imran Nazir. He's batting on 38 of 10 deliveries.

I have never seen anything like it.

The Badshahs are 59-1 in 3 overs!

Oh the bowlers - Johan Van Der Wath & Micheal Kasprowicz.

The Lahore Badshahs got to 50 in 2.3 overs. 15 deliveries!

Thats the fastest 50 in ICL's 2 year history - Is it the fastest opening 50 partnership in any form of cricket?

I don't think I've seen a faster one.

The return of international cricket has coincided with the return of the rebels with the 2nd season of the Indian Cricket League starting from Friday.

With 9 teams, 41 matches, and 4 venues - the ICL promises to be bigger and better than before.

Has anyone seen the new ICL ad on TV?

I couldn't find a video online. The ad shows a cricketer trying to impress the national selectors who seem to be busy chatting away and not paying attention to him. Frustrated with the selectors' behaviour the cricketer marches off, throws away his playing kit, and walks out in the ICL uniform.

Isn't that the story of the ICL players?

How openly this war between the ICL and the BCCI is being played out is not funny anymore.

Mushtaq Ahmed has even suggested an ICL vs IPL play-off with the best teams from both leagues participating in a tournament. He has even suggested the ICL champions to be a part of the 20-20 Champions League in December.

Brilliant idea I think.

The ICL kicks off on 10th October with the opening match being a repeat of last years final: Lahore Baadshahs vs Hyderabad Heroes.

There's a new team this season - the Dhaka Warriors - taking the team count to 9 and the match count to 41.

The matches will be played over 4 venues.

The tournament will run till 16th November with each team taking on the other once followed by the semi-finals and a best of 3 finals.

The ICL is back and its definitely bigger and better than before.

I have been reporting on the Australians who have taken the IPL by storm. Coaches, assistant coaches, domestic players, strength trainers - you name it and the IPL teams have these Aussies on their pay roll.

One glance at the other 20-20 league and you see that its the Pakistanis who are making the ICL their very own.

The Lahore Badshahs was an all Pakistani outfit that made it to the finals of the ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge with an unbeaten run of 7 wins. In the finals they were stopped by another Pakistani, Abdul Razzak, who also won the player of the series award.

Lahore Badshahs won a lot of hearts in India and the public back in Pakistan followed them with intent. People around Dubai were also buzzing about how good the Badshahs looked.

Inzamam's leadership, the fielding, the attacking strokeplay from Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, and Hasan Raza were all admired.

Mushy's guile and Saqlain taking wickets again reminded everyone about the great spinners Pakistan used to once have.

Azhar Mahmood showed how he has been treated so unfairly by the Pakistan selectors. And Abdul Razzak made sure that the PCB and its selectors have a lot more than just egg left on their face.

The Badshahs success and popularity across India, Pakistan, and elsewhere also led the ICL to hastily organize a 3-way tournament including teams from Pakistan, India, and a World XI.

The ICL have siezed on the classic India-Pakistan rivalry and it has given their league a new look altogether.

But what does this mean for Pakistan?

Domestic stars have left their departments and regional teams high and dry to play in India. Inzamam is leading a Pakistan XI, which can easily pass of as an international team. And the public is actually enjoying watching a Pakistan team that looks unbeatable. It doesn't matter who the competition is.

Is this good?

Initially I thought it was great since it brought an altogether different atmosphere to the ICL. But going forward if the Lahore Badshahs / ICL Pakistan do become the invincibles within the league, the fans will be somewhat divided. Who would watch an international side that easily beats the minnows but looks like one itself when facing tougher competition?

Already the public is more interested in the progress of ICL Pakistan in the ICL 20s World Series than it is in the on going international series against Bangladesh.

I heard that a victory parade in Lahore was being planned for the Lahore Badshahs before Razzak came to spoil the party. The same is being planned for ICL Pakistan if they win the 20s World Series. I can already sense the buzz around such a victory parade if it does happen.

The cricket starved Pakistani public will appear in thousands to watch Inzamam and his troops on a bus top driving from the airport to the Gaddafi or wherever else. Would they even care that the international team is playing Bangladesh?

Kapil Dev has announced that they are looking to take the ICL to Pakistan. In the next season the ICL will look to hold the Badshahs' matches in Lahore and Karachi. Talks are already taking place for this to happen in October. Its a great business move considering the interest the Badshahs have created in Pakistan.

But it definitely divides the public.

Imagine what would happen when an international team is touring Pakistan in October. There will be an ODI going on in the Gaddafi with Shoaib Malik and his men taking on Australia or South Africa. At the same time, Inzamam's Badshahs will be taking on the Hyderabad Heroes at the Lahore Gymkhana or the Garrison Cricket Ground.

Where would you go? Who would you rather watch?

There's a certain nostalgic factor associated with the Badhshahs. At the same time they are playing more exciting cricket than the international Pakistan team. The public is anti-PCB and the Badshahs boasts of players who have been projected as those treated unfairly by the cricket board.

The public's sentiment is with the Badshahs / ICL Pakistan.

The Pakistanis have 2 teams to support on the world stage. We may be fortunate but its also a dilemma. I hope the international team is not lost among the hype the Badshahs create.

I want the Badshahs' / ICL Pakistan's success but not at the expense of Pakistan's international team.

After the Lahore Badshahs won their first match of the ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge, I mentioned elsewhere that knowing the Pakistani players I wouldn't be surprised to see them reaching the final undefeated and then losing it. That is exactly how ICL's 2nd edition ended last night.

I think I said it on Soulberry's blog or it could have been on Ottayan's. I tried looking for it but couldn't find it. (SB & OTT, can you help?)

Cricket20 is a website that covers everything and anything related to 20-20 cricket around the world. Be it the ICL, the IPL, the Pro20, Stanford Series, KFC 20-20 they have it all on Cricket20.

The website also publishes global rankings of domestic 20-20 teams from around the world and what I'm glad to see is that they don't bar the ICL teams from being ranked - thank God some people still have sense.

In their most recently updated list, the Lahore Badshahs are ranked at #3 behind the Victoria Bushrangers and the Sialkot Stallions.

The Lahore Badshahs are in their 1st season of 20-20 cricket and have swept aside all opposition in the on going ICL Edelweiss Grand Championship winning all 7 of their matches.

Led by former Pakistan captain, Inzamam Ul Haq, the Badshahs is made up of former international cricketers from Pakistan and a number of them have made a solid impact in the ongoing ICL tournament.

Here's a look at a few of the outstanding performances:

Inzamam Ul Haq: 50* off 43 deliveries to lead them to a 5 wicket win over defending champions, Chennai Superstars.

Azhar Mahmood 5-13 to dismiss the Hyderbabad Heroes for a paltry 86. He is also the 2nd highest wicket taker of the championship.

Imran Farhat: 94 off 54 balls with 8 sixes against the Chandigarh Lions leading the Badshahs to a match winning 187.

Hasan Raza: Bettered Farhat's effort, smashing an unbeaten 98 off only 52 balls with 10 fours and 4 sixes to lead them to another match winning 187 against the Mumbai Champs.

Mushtaq Ahmed: 3-20 to bowl out Delhi Giants for only 103. Imran Nazir smashed a 47 ball unbeaten 60 to lad the Badshahs to an 8 wicket win.

The ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge enters the semifinal stage today with defending champions Chennai Superstars up against Hyderabad Heroes.

The Lahore Badshahs have entered the semis as the only team that has remained unbeaten in the 7 league games and they play the Kolkata Tigers tomorrow.

Moving back the above mentioned Cricket20 rankings - currently there are 22 teams on that list. Another 8 will be ranked once the IPL gets underway this month. Which of the IPL teams do you reckon will make it to the top 5 of this list?

For as long as Pakistan chased down totals over the last 15 years, they relied on one man - Inzamam ul Haq.

Announcing his arrival at the world stage in grand fashion as a 19 year old during the 1992 World Cup he first showed his chasing abilities in the semi final of the tournament against the Kiwis. Following that Inzamam masterminded many a chase for Pakistan, with the most recent in memory being the last ball 4 he hit of Sachin to chase down a 300+ total in India a couple of years ago.

Nearing 40 now, Inzamam's abilities haven't gone away and he displayed his mettle again yesterday as he lead his Lahore Badshah's to a 5 wicket win over the Chennai Superstars in the ongoing ICL's Edelweiss 20s Challenge.

Chasing 158 in 20 overs, Inzamam walked out when the Badshah's were precariously placed at 32-3 of 5 overs, which soon became 47-4 in 7. Needing another 111 runs in 13 overs, Inzamam partnered with Naved Latif to hammer the Chennai bowling as the two added 77 runs in the next 9 overs. Once Naved departed, Inzamam was joined by Azhar Mahmood and the two then knocked off the remaining 34 runs in only 3 overs.

Inzamam remained unbeaten on 50 off 43 deliveries that contained 5 boundaries and a six and was also awarded the man of the match for his effort.

The Chennai team included Micheal Bevan (56 off 53), Ian Harvey (5 off 13 and 1-37), Russel Arnold (3 off 4), Adam Parore (3*), Shabbir Ahmed (0-41), and the 2 Kumarans.

The Lahore Badshahs looks like the strongest outfit in the tournament largely because the team includes all former Pakistan internationals, which is an added advantage over other teams that include players from all round the globe.

Knowing this team and the players in it, I can easily put a wager on them going unbeaten to the final and then losing it!

In other results thus far:

Ahmedabad Rockets beat Chandigarh Lions by 19 runs.
Points of interest:
Wavell Hinds smashed 59 off 43 for the Rockets.
Skipper Chris Cairns picked up 2 wickets for the Lions.
Matthew Elliot top scored for the Lions with 39.
Chris Cairns threatened to take the game away before he was undone by Jason Gillespie.

Delhi Giants beat Mumbai Champs by 6 wickets
Points of interest:
Champs' skipper Brian Lara ruled out of tournament with injury.
Stand in skipper Nathan Astle top scored with 32.
Shane Bond gave away only 18 runs in 4 overs to restrict the Champs.
Abbas Ali smashed an unbeaten 64 off 49 deliveries to lead the Giants' reply.

Watch this space for more updates on the Lahore Badshahs and the ICL.

The 2nd edition of the ICL gets underway today and the tournament is bigger and better than the pervious one. Smartly scheduled with the start a month before the IPL and the end over a week before the IPL kicks off, the 'Edelweiss 20s Challenge' starts today with a match between the Ahmedabad Rockets and the Chandigarh Lions.

The ICL has managed to rope in the financial services firm 'Edelweiss' as its sponsor and a deal has also been brokered with Ten Sports to telecast the matches along with the owner's channel Zee Sports. Reportedly the TV rights have been sold for $5 million, half of what the IPL is getting from Sony per annum.

I reported on the composition of the all Pakistan outfit, Lahore Badshahs, previously. All the Pakistani players will be representing one team apart from Shabbir Ahmed and Abdul Razzak who will play for the same teams as last year. Here is a look at the other teams in the competition.

Ahmedabad Rockets
Captain: Damien Martyn
International Stars: Jason Gillespie, Wavell Hinds, Murray Goodwin, Heath Streak
Indian Stars: Reetinder Sodhi, Sridharan Sriram
Coach: John Emburey

Mumbai Champs
Captain: Brian Lara
International Stars: Nathan Astle, Tino Best, Micheal Kasprowicz, Johan Van Der Wath
Indian Star: Robin Morris
Coach: Sandip Patel

Chandigarh Lions
Captain: Chris Cairns
International Stars: Matthew Elliot, Andrew Hall, Lou Vincent, Daryl Tuffey
Indian Stars: Dinesh Mongia, Manish Sharma
Coach: Balwinder Sandhu

Kolkata Tigers
Captain: Craig McMillan
International Stars: Lance Klusener, Andre Adams, Upul Chandana, Nantie Hayward
Indian Stars: Rohan Gavaskar, Deep Dasgupta, Abhishek Jhunjunwala
Coach: Daryll Cullinan

Chennai Superstars
Captain: Stuart Law
International Stars: Micheal Bevan, Russel Arnold, Ian Havey, Adam Parore, Shabbir Ahmed
Indian Stars: Thiru Kumaran, Hemang Badani
Coach: Micheal Bevan (Player / Coach)

Hyderabad Heroes
Captain: Chris Harris
International Stars: Abdul Razzak, Nicky Boje, Justin Kemp, Jimmy Maher
Indian Stars: Ambati Rayudu, Shashank Nag
Coach: Steve Rixon

Delhi Giants
Captain: Marvan Atapattu
International Stars: Shane Bond, Dale Benkenstien, Avishka Gunuwardene, Nic Pothas
Indian Stars: JP Yadav, Abbas Ali, Ali Murtaza
Coach: Madan Lal

Round 1 that kicks off today will comprise of 28 matches with each team playing the other once and the top 4 qualifying for he semis. The finals will be a best of 3 series.

All the Pakistanis will be rooting for the Lahore Badshahs, who are you rooting for?

I can't wait to watch Inzamam Ul Haq!!!

Team: Lahore Badshahs (Translation: Lahore Kings)
Coach: Moin Khan
Captain: Inzamam Ul Haq

The Squad
Openers: Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Taufiq Umar
Middle Order: Inzamam, Naveed Latif, Hasan Raza
Allrounders: Azhar Mahmood, Abdul Razzak
Wicketkeeper: Humayun Farhat
Fast Bowlers: Mohammad Sami, Rana Naveed Ul Hasan, Shabbir Ahmed, Riaz Afridi, Shahid Nazir
Spinners: Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Arshad Khan

Reading those names as part of a Pakistani squad would seem that a Pakistan A side is touring for a series of matches. This is not Pakistan A, its the Lahore Badshahs team taking part in the 2nd edition of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) that gets underway in a weeks time.

Apart from the 6 teams that participated in the 1st edition of the ICL, the 2nd edition, "ICL 20s Grand Championship" will feature another 2 teams: Lahore Baadshahs and Ahmedabad Rockets.
In the last 2 days Osman Samiuddin, Ian Chappell, and Asif Iqbal have raised their concerns regarding the bans placed on the cricketers joining the ICL. I did the same a few weeks back demanding the rule of the free economy in cricket - Read here and here.

There is a clear distinction between the IPL and the ICL - the former boasts of current international stars, while the other of retired or ignored ones. Then why are these national boards depriving these cricketers of their livelihood?

Moreover, the ICL 20s Grand Championship will run from 9th March to 7th April, thus concluding over a week before the IPL gets underway. ICL has smartly scheduled its competition so it doesn't clash with the IPL and even then the BCCI seems to have a problem with it. They have left no stone unturned in trying to block it with barriers of all forms -including support from the ICC and other national boards.

As has been mentioned in the articles I linked above, the key question here is what are the ICC and the national cricket boards getting out of this? The IPL benefits only the BCCI, the franchisees, and the auctioned cricketers - the other cricket boards get nothing out of it and neither does the ICC.

This just makes the BCCI the big bully monopoly earning billions and the ICC, PCB, CA, ECB, etc its partners in crime who get what?

Intriguing I think.