Indian Badminton League organizers said Thursday that "they were undecided about holding the second edition this year." The multi-million dollar league is due to return from Sept. 30 until Oct. 15. But with the world championships scheduled for August and the Asian Games from Sept.19 to Oct. 4, the availability of top players "is posing a problem for organizers" (GLOBAL TIMES, 4/25). ... The Indian Premier League "has entered its final week in the United Arab Emirates." Betting syndicates "remain a major concern for the organisers and the Board's Anti Corruption Security Unit." An ACSU official said that a couple of players "have reported suspicious approaches by some people trying to befriend them." One of them is said to be Kolkata Knight Riders' South Africa fast bowler, Morne Morkel (HINDUSTAN TIMES, 4/27). ... The Board of Control for Cricket in India is "putting in place a structure for India 'A' and under-19 tours." The BCCI "proposed a model that looks beyond domestic competition, thus emphasising on the need for more India 'A' and U-19 tours." Similarly, on the lines of the Int'l Cricket Council Future and Tours program, the BCCI "will be proposing to the ICC to carve out a similar structure for all international teams, who can be signatories to the FTP for all 'A' tours and bilateral U-19 tours" (HINDUSTAN TIMES, 4/26). ... The Indian Home Ministry "has given its nod to a draft bill that envisages to check spot-fixing and illegal betting in sporting events, and mulls a maximum of five years' imprisonment for such crimes." The bill "aims to 'cleanse sports' in the country" (Indian BUSINESS STANDARD, 4/27). ... Efforts to make basketball a more accessible sport, especially to the non-Chinese, "are being put in place with the inception of a new league" -- the Industrial and Commercial Basketball League. Under the ICBL rules, each team "must field at least two non-Chinese players for the first two quarters of a match." Another unique feature of the ICBL "is the introduction of the handicap points system, which is meant to even out the strength of the participating teams" (THE STAR, 4/27).
