'Mini' IPL in September?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keen to hold a mini-IPL abroad in September, a small window in the packed schedule when hardly any of the Test-playing nations are in action.

But BCCI will first have to fend off competition from the International Cricket Council (ICC), which itself is keen to hold an international T20 tournament in that period.

The BCCI has been eyeing the September slot since 2014, when it scrapped the loss-making T20 Champions League - which it owned along with its Australian and South African counterparts. Last year, it was keen to hold a mini-IPL, involving all its existing franchises, but postponed the idea after it plunged into crisis thanks to internal tussles and legal battles.

Now, with the BCCI preparing to toe the Supreme Court's line, the idea of starting a mini-IPL is once again gaining momentum.