Now, a cricket equivalent of ‘Indian Idol

hey i found this article..u might have read it already because its a few weeks old but i just came across it..its kind of interesting and a bit odd .. it kind of relates to II..considering they will model the cricket show after it

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Now, a cricket equivalent of 'Indian Idol'

New Delhi - A cricket reality show, aimed at finding the 'most talented' Indian player, is being launched by a London-based firm as part of a five-year commercial agreement with the Indian cricket board.

Conceptualised by Investors In Cricket (IIC), the nationwide search for 'Cricket Star' will begin in July through registration and in October, one winner will get a year's contract with Leicestershire and an 11-week training stint at the Cricket Star Academy, the organisers announced here Thursday.

'The winner of the first series will earn a place in the Indian national trials, a year's expenses paid contract with Leicestershire County Cricket Club,' they said.

However, when told that there had never been trials to pick the Indian team per se as players were picked on the basis of their performances in domestic tournaments, the organisers hastened to clarify that the aim was not to 'short circuit' the established process.

'We will follow the (established selection) process. Ours is just a programme for unearthing new talent,' said IIC CEO Fraser Castellino.

However, another organiser who addressed the media, Ranjit Barthakur, said the IIC's idea was to 'supplement' the selection process.

'We ourselves don't know how it (programme) will go. It will merge with the selection. We also don't know what the answers are, to the questions that you are asking,' he said.

Although the 'Cricket Star India' is supposed to have the backing of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in return for an undisclosed fee, no board official was present at the media conference.

The invitation to the press conference clearly stated that the head of the BCCI's committee on infrastructure, I.S. Bindra, and marketing committee chief Lalit Modi would be attending.

But both did not turn up. Organisers said Modi was in London where he addressed reporters on the same subject Wednesday night and Bindra, a former board president, was 'stuck somewhere' in the city.

The release, however, had Modi saying: 'Cricket Star is a ground-breaking TV format we have developed with IIC that will showcase the best of India's unsung cricketing talent, and compliment the BCCI's growing portfolio of media properties.'

Former India captain Kapil Dev, who heads BCCI's Cricket Development Committee, was present at the gathering. But it was uncertain whether he was representing the BCCI or promoting the event.

On the IIC programme, Kapil said it was a good idea even though the BCCI has a similar programme, Talent Research Development Wing (TRDO), under which former players appointed as scouts spot talent and inform the selectors.

He took a dig at the board's working, saying the BCCI's was an honorary job while IIC's was professional.

Then, with a smile, he said: 'In two-three years we will know who works better.'

To take part in Cricket Star, youngsters can apply online or by post from all over India, the details of which will be announced next month. A total of 14 players will be short-listed to attend auditions in their region.

Celebrity cricket judges, national selectors and professional coaches will then select the final group to attend the Cricket Star Academy in Mohali.

At the academy the contestants will undergo a wide range of mental and physical tests. Their progress will be tested each week through televised cricket matches, which will include some of the game's leading names.

The final selection will be done by television viewers, who will vote on the lines of the popular show - 'Indian Idol'.