New Delhi, September 13:

Indian cricket authorities on Thursday paraded superstars Glenn McGrath and Stephen Fleming at the launch of international and domestic Twenty20 leagues to counter a rival group.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) will be made up of franchised teams under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), vice president Lalit Modi said. The board also announced an international Champions Twenty20 League featuring the top two clubs from Australia, South Africa, England and India.

The Champions League carries prize money of five million dollars, the biggest-ever purse for a cricket event. The Indian league offers prize money of three million dollars. Modi said the IPL would be held in April and the Champions league in October next year.

India’s famed veterans Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly were also present at the glitzy announcement. The BCCI is embroiled in a bitter row with rival Indian Cricket League (ICL), which is due to start in October after signing up international and domestic cricketers for a Twenty20 tournament.

The BCCI has swiftly embraced the new form of the game which it had largely ignored until the ICL emerged in April with an ambitious plan to break the mould.