Board of Control for Cricket in India vice-president Lalit Modi on Saturday ruled out any compromise with the Indian Cricket League and also denied using money power to lure away the likes of Shane Warne and Stephen Fleming from the rebel league.
Modi snubbed ICL as a set of "glorified exhibition matches" and said there could not be any compromise with the backers of the ICL.
"Our Indian Premier League has the backing of full 10 Test playing nations and there can't be any comparison with the ICL.
"I hope launching IPL, in no way, stops my good friend Subhash Chandra [chief of Essel Group backing ICL] from running the league. But no rapprochement is possible on this issue," he told NDTV.
Modi wished luck to ICL and did not rule out the possibility of both the league continuing simultaneously.
"I hope both may peacefully co-exist," he said in a lighter vein.
He denied that the trio of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Stephen Fleming, who were negotiating with ICL, succumbed to the lure of more money.
"I can tell you for I have seen the contracts that the money is far, far less than what some other people were offering them. Money is not the thing they are looking for, it's not the sole criterion for them. What they were looking for is the right platform", he said.
"ICL is there today, it may not be tomorrow. In contrast, IPL has the backing of full 10 Test playing nations. It's starting with a Rs 200 crore corpus and we have the infrastructure as well," Modi said.
On whether BCCI would accept the players who have joined ICL but want to return, Modi hinted there might be a change in the Board's stance.
"Well, that remains a rebate in the Board and we are yet to take a decision. I hope it changes but players have to decide who they want to be with."
The firebrand administrator also played down his ambition to head the BCCI and said he would fully back Shashank Manohar, who has been chosen to succeed Board president Sharad Pawar.
"See, I've just joined BCCI. I have a long way to go and already I have lot on my platter. I was never in the ring. Manohar deserves it and he has my full support."
