‘Players stranded, hotels unpaid – how a Kashmir cricket league turned into a fiasco’
Srinagar: A controversy has erupted over a private cricket league in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir after its organisers left the tournament mid-way, without paying the players, support staff and hotel bills.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Indian Heaven Premier League (IHPL) – organised by the Yuva Society non-profit from neighbouring Punjab state – got off to a promising start, with international legends like Chris Gayle and Devon Smith participating in the opening matches, giving local players a rare opportunity to interact with global cricketing stars.
But the tournament was halted after just a few matches, leaving hotel owners and players scrambling for their dues.
The organisers left Kashmir in the middle of the night on November 1 after just 12 matches were played. The league, which began on 25 October, was scheduled to conclude on 8 November.
It is unclear why they left, but according to local players the matches didn’t get a great response and drew crowds far smaller than the 25,000 to 30,000 spectators that were anticipated to turn up.
Police say they’ve registered a case of cheating and breach of trust and launched an investigation into the incident.
Local cricketers told the media that during the first match where Gayle was playing, there were just 400-500 people in the crowd, with spectators not turning up even after organisers slashed ticket prices by a third.
The league had eight teams from the occupied Jammu and Kashmir and included a mix of local and international players.
The incident has raised serious questions about how such an event was allowed to take place without proper oversight.
An official from the Radisson Collection Hotel in Srinagar city where the organisers had stayed told the media on the condition of anonymity that he was “shocked” to see the CCTV footage which, he said, showed the organisers fleeing from the venue in the middle of the night.
