Don't risk your career by joining ICL: Modi tells Kiwis

BCCI vice president Lalit Modi has advised New Zealand players not to jeopardise their careers by joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is in a crisis with a number of Kiwi players already aligning with ICL and the fresh jolt came with their spearhead Shane Bond too deciding to take the plunge.

Modi urged the Kiwi cricketers not to succumb to the lure of the rebel league which, he felt, was not sustainable.

"To have a credible tournament one must not just look at the money but, more importantly, whether the competition is sanctioned, whether it's going to have the (necessary) infrastructure, whether it's going to be around for a while, and whether it's investing in the growth of the game - or just profiting from it," Modi was quoted as saying by a local daily.

"Do they have enough safeguards to protect against match-fixing? Do they have the right officials - such as match referees and umpires - and do they have the appropriate rules involving anti-doping policies and playing guidelines?" asked Modi, also the chairman of the BCCI-backed Indian Premier League (IPL).

New Zealand have already lost six players -- Daryl Tuffey, Hamish Marshall, Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns and Chris Harris -- to the rebel league, even though some of them have already quit international cricket.

NZC has already instructed the selectors to overlook these players.

Modi confirmed the Test playing nations had agreed to a gentleman's agreement to ban the rebel cricketers.

"We have all decided that in the interests of development ... we will try as far as legally possible to discourage our players from joining any rebel league that is organised just for self-profit," he said.

"The BCCI and the other Test-playing nations are non-profit organisations. They invest 100 per cent of their earnings back into the game. This is essential to ensure we build the best infrastructure for the players and fans alike," the BCCI official said.

He also sought to dispel fears that the IPL might affect international commitments of a number of players.

"The IPL will be played in a window which does not clash with the FTP," he said.