The Indian Heaven Premier League (IHPL) turned out to be a nightmare for players, umpires and match officials as the organisers fled Jammu & Kashmir in the middle of the tournament. The league had high profile players like Chris Gayle, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Thisara Perera, Praveen Kumar and others promoting it with the backing of J&K Sports Council. On November 2, drama unfolded at the hotel as they locked players, umpires and officials over unpaid hotel bills. Not just the hotel or players, even the umpires have not been paid their fees.
The J&K government rolled out the red carpet for the league without following any verification process. The government is yet to make a statement after drama unfolded. It is not clear whether any investigation or action has been initiated by the government.
The league was scheduled to take place from October 25 to November 8. The matches were being played at the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar. As many as 70 players were participating in the league, including former international stars. Also, the organisers had brought umpires from England.
England Cricket Board (ECB) coach Mel Juniper who was an umpire in the tournament said that the league management has stopped answering their calls as they have been stranded at the hotel.
"The league hasn't paid any bills. They haven't paid players, umpires, staff or the hotel. They (League management) had told the hotel to hold the players within the building. The league management is nowhere to be seen and they are not even receiving our calls," Juniper told reporters inside the hotel premises. "We can't play till our dues are cleared.”
Matches played and left in Indian Heaven Premier League
So far, 13 matches have taken place in the league. The matches on November 1 and 2 were abandoned due to organisers fleeing the state. In the previous clash, Chris Gayle had wreaked havoc for The Pulawama Titans, hitting three sixes and 13 fours in his 48-ball 88. Pulawama Titans posted 252/3 on the board and beat Kishtwar Giants by 94 runs. There were 14 more games left in the league, including two semifinals and a final.