Delay over English version of IPL ludicrous - Bransgrove

By Richard Sydenham

LONDON (Reuters) - Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove said on Friday it was ludicrous to wait until 2010 to launch the English version of the Indian Premier League.

"We conceived Twenty20 but India has been quicker to exploit its commercial potential," Bransgrove told Reuters.

"The idea to launch in 2010 is ludicrous. I would have started making changes this year including more overseas players or making it two-divisional. It's not brain surgery," added the millionaire entrepreneur.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke previously indicated the new event would start in 2010 to avoid clashing with next year's home Ashes series against Australia.

"We don't want a knee-jerk reaction to the IPL but we believe we can set up a robust, spectator-friendly, economically sustainable competition of our own which will not cut across the core revenue streams of test and one-day international cricket," Clarke told reporters.

The ECB has been holding talks with Texas billionaire Allen Stanford about how to rival the IPL, which has generated one billion pounds ($1.97 billion) in media rights alone.

"Talks are ongoing and have been positive and constructive," said ECB chief executive David Collier.

Plans to restructure England's Twenty20 Cup, which started in 2003, gathered pace after this month's IPL launch.