BCCI refuses to react to Kapil Dev's statement on IPL

Mumbai, Jan 28 (UNI) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today said it did not deem it necessary to react to former India captain Kapil Dev's statement that the Indian cricket board-promoted Indian Premier League (IPL) would sound a death-knell for domestic tournaments like the Ranji and Duleep trophies.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said ''The Board does not want to react in any way to what Kapil has said.'' However, sources inside the Board questioned as to how the driving force behind Essel Group-promoted rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) can point fingers at the IPL.

The reaction was to Kapil's statement made to a news agency yesterday.

Kapil had stated that ''Now that BCCI have sold the eight teams, it is to be seen as to what will happen to states and institutions affiliated to it.'' ''What will happen to state players besides state associations is another question. No one will want to play Ranji Trophy or Deodhar Trophy. We do not know what would happen to these traditional events.'' ''The 75 years of tradition and convention of the Board is lost,'' Kapil had rued, while speaking to the agency.

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