How ‘Indian Heaven’ cricket league came to Kashmir with Gayle and tall claims, but abandoned play and ran
Chris Gayle, Jesse Ryder, other former stars stranded or unpaid as organisers from Punjab's Mohali run away after matches fail to pull crowds in Srinagar
For about a week, the Indian Heaven Premier League (IHPL) seemed to be going well enough on the field — stars like Chris Gayle were making runs, laughing, bantering with local players — except that there were signs of trouble just beyond the boundary rope. There were hardly any crowds to watch the T20 cricket tournament.
And it all ended abruptly by the end of the week, leaving players like Chris Gayle of the West Indies and Jesse Ryder of New Zealand stranded or unpaid.
What is Indian Heaven Premier League or IHPL?
Held by a non-government organisation, Yuva Society based in Punjab's Mohali, the IHPL got some logistical backing from the authorities too, such as ensuring security and health emergency facilities.
It began amid fanfare on October 25, and was to end on November 8.
Billboards across Srinagar and beyond featured cricketers like Chris Gayle and Devon Smith from the West Indies, even Shakib-al-Hassan of Bangladesh. Modelled on the IPL and other such T20 leagues, it had eight teams named after places in Jammu & Kashmir, plus Ladakh.
How many matches were played in IHPL?
These boards announced that the megastars will play alongside local players. Most of the matches were played at Bakshi Stadium with music blaring from loudspeakers during the intervals, news agency PTI reported.
Eventually 12 matches could be held, with no organiser turning up for 13th match, between Uri Panthers and Gulmarg Royals, on Sunday, November 1.
Players refused to turn up due to unpaid dues, and reports said Gayle and some other top stars had left by then. The organisers did their own vanishing act, forcing the hotel where the players were staying to stop them from leaving till their dues were cleared.
How did Chris Gayle end up here?
Chris Gayle was among several players who had played in the Legends' League cricket tournament in 2024 in Kashmir. The event, which was a private one just like the IHPL this year, had drawn huge crowds to the stadiums as locals got to see international players in action for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Parminder Singh, listed as chairman of the Yuva Society, might have been swayed by the success of that league to organise the IHPL in Kashmir, PTI noted.
The Yuva Society booked Bakshi Stadium, owned by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, and paid the rent upfront.
Which teams were participating?
The eight teams were named Srinagar Sultans, Jammu Lions, Ladakh Heroes, Pulwama Titans, Patnitop Warriors and Kishtwar Giants, besides Uri Panthers and Gulmarg Royals. Each team had a former international player in its ranks.
But it failed to pull any crowds. Even the last match in which Gayle scored a blistering 88 runs had near-empty stands.
Umpire tells story of abandonment
The story first broke after Mellisa Juniper, an Englishwoman who was an umpire at the event, said they had not been paid, speaking to reporters outside a hotel.
She said she was informed by the hotel staff about the "missing organisers". While police did visit the hotel, there was no official word whether any action has been initiated by the cops, the PTI report added.
Questions that remain in IHPL fiasco
But the story may be more twisted. Questions are now being asked as to how the organisers with no past experience in holding leagues of such magnitude were allowed to use Bakshi Stadium.
Secretary of the sports council Nuzhat Gul told PTI that the organisers had paid the money. "I have no association with the IHPL. I was present at the inaugural ceremony only as an invitee," she added.
The Yuva Society, while announcing the IHPL on its website, used photographs of former cricketers Surendra Khanna and Ashu Dani without mentioning roles, if any, the duo played in the organisation. Some reports said they were “mentors”.
