The Indian Heaven Premier League, which promised to bring the glamour of international cricket to Srinagar, is in choppy waters for alleged fraud as the organisers reportedly flee without making payments to the cricketers and umpires.
A Cricket League, named the Indian Heaven Premier League, is in trouble after the organisers disappeared and left the players, umpires and the hotel stranded with no payments made. The League that promised to bring the glamour of international cricket to Srinagar has seemingly halted in a fiasco as the organisers fled without making payment of millions of rupees.
The tournament began on October 25 at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar and had some big names in it, with former West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle and ex-India star Praveen Kumar among the big attractions. Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera, South African Richard Levi, Omani cricketer Ayaan Khan, and Pakistani-origin Shoaib Muhammad were also available for a brief period.
Gayle featured in three matches, while Perera played one. There were some former domestic Indian players in the roster too, with the likes of Parvez Rasool, Iqbal Abdullah, Faiz Fazal, and Ishwar Pandey in that list, along with local Kashmiri players.
Reports have surfaced claiming that the organisers, reportedly based in Delhi, have failed to make the payments to the players and the umpires. Even the hotel where the players were staying has not been paid a bill of over Rs 80 lakh. “The organisers had booked rooms until November 9, but they didn’t pay a single penny. We allowed the players to check out, but our dues are still pending,” a hotel official said.
Umpire Melissa Juniper, who was affiliated with the England and Wales Cricket Board, shared with reporters that the management had fled late Saturday night. “No one has been paid – not the hotel, not the umpires, not the players. Their phones are switched off. We had to negotiate with the hotel to allow the players to leave,” she said. Even advertising agencies, LED board suppliers, and catering contractors have complained about not receiving payments. “Many others are in the same situation. This was a scam.”
The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council clarified that IHPL was a private event and not affiliated with any government body or the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). The organisers had rented Bakshi Stadium and obtained permission from the Srinagar administration. “The organisers were from Delhi, and it was a private league,” the Council stated.