Cricket in India is a national obsession and a religion. It is a game which governs national pride and has fantastic following. Cricket is also the game where we are the closest to becoming a champion side. So due to this the Essel group has taken an initiative in this frontier and the ICL is a step in this direction.. The ICL is a private cricket league that runs parallel to the Indian Premier League (IPL) managed by BCCI. The biggest tournaments with international players follow the Twenty20 format. In its first edition it had 6 teams but in the second edition it has added 3 more teams to the 6 teams.
The first edition of the league commenced on 30 November 2007. The league consisted of six teams with the matches played at Panchkula, near Chandigarh. It concluded on 16 December 2007 with the Chennai Superstars winning the first title. The second edition was a 50 over tournament played from 7 January 2008 to 28 January 2008 at Mayajaal Cricket Ground, near Chennai, with Chennai Superstars winning again. A third edition which commenced on 9 March 2008 saw the league expanded to eight teams and matches being played at two further venues, Hyderabad and Gurgaon. Hyderabad Heroes won the 3rd edition.
