After the incredible popularity of Indian premier League, there were widespread talks in America of holding their own Twenty20 league namely the American Premier League Cricket. Eight teams from different countries were finalized with appropriate coaches. Richie Richardson was named the chief recruiter and it was all going smooth for inaugural audition to take place in late 2009. It was named American premier league (APL).

Trouble brewed when APL failed to get official sanction. There was a remarkable revolt from the International Cricket Committee (ICC), which has in its agenda to stop any rebel tournament to flourish. ICC sent its representative Farokh Engineer to convince them that the best way to mitigate rebels is to start own official enterprise.

The new system may retain the players that would have been part of APL. Now, however, it will be run by USA Cricket Association (USACA), a branch of ICC. Logistics are being finalized and stadiums are getting quality-checked for better capacity and facilities. Potential sponsors and backers have been intimated to send their proposals by August 7, 2009.

Recession and terrorism are holding many countries captive. Thus it may take a bit of time for USACA to realize their dreams and rake profits. Tentative date for the inaugural edition has been mooted sometimes in 2011.

Each team will boast a host of quality players and some new ones. With Richard Hadlee, John Emburey and Richie Richardson at the helm of cricketing affairs, one can expect livewire action. They say patience yields sweet fruits and so one should wait just a bit to be enthralled by this wonderful variant of cricket: Twenty20.

Cricket has developed into a true global sport. It has been followed rather seriously in places where it hasn’t even touched shores. There was a time when the one-day version was scoffed at as poor man’s bat-and-ball game. Today, time constraint and the expanding need of entertainment have brought cricket festivities like T20 on the surface. Ever since its inception into the fold of cricket, Twenty20 has won many accolades. The inaugural world cup has been a major hit and IPL in its very first year has performed beyond expectations.

To please its South Asian contingent and bring the fan following of the game to America, a few sponsors have joined hands to host the American Premier League. It’s the American version of T20 and does not differ from the game barring the setting. Six teams will participate in the venture and the list includes Premium Pakistan, Premium Indians, Premium West Indies, Premium World and Premium America.

Jay Mir, the CEO of American Sports And Entertainment Group Inc, believes that the inaugural edition due to be played at Staten Island in New York will bring forth an unprecedented craze for the game and certainly break borders and seduce American masses too.

Already, Richie Richardson is being hired as chief recruiter. He would also don the hat of West Indian coach. Apart from him, APL has signed Nicke Boje, Lance Klusener and Andrew Hall for exorbitant sums. For the uninitiated, their national sides have expelled these three players for becoming a part of Rebel League. This indirectly means that other rebel players might find a lot of support and deals with APL too. To emphasize the essence of this point, 7 Pakistani players have already been signed by APL. The names include Inzamam, Rana Naved Ul Hasan, Imran Farhat Imran Nazir and Saqlain Mushtaq, once a top-draw Pakistani cricketer.

The matches will be played at a baseball field that has been duly restructured keeping the model of cricket stadiums in mind. It is a picturesque ground that is being set against the majestic backdrop of river Hudson and Statue of Liberty.

The format is rather simple. Each team will meet their adversaries once in the league matches. This will be followed by semifinals and Best-of-three finale. The sponsors fear that despite razzmatazz, the charm of the game might fizzle in absence of star cricketers and hence they have tried to wrap the event in a moderate space of time.

Cricket is most certainly amidst its phase of greatest glory. It has been amply proved that Test Cricket (ultimate test of endurance) can co-exist with one-day format and T20. It is for APL to bring some entertainment to the recession-hit country. Its success would determine how sponsors rally around for hiring players in future. It is believed by many cricket freaks that APL may give tough competition to IPL in the near future.