Don't Miss

India's CWG 2026 Medal Tally Lowest In 24 Years, Yet Among The Best

Tactical Self-Destruction: How England Threw Away Their World Cup Final Dream

Bundesliga Blueprint: How Zee Plans To Complete India's Football Jigsaw

Manuel Neuer Doesn't Know Where To Stop: Not On The Pitch, Not In His Career

Advertisement

ENG

Dark / Light mode

Oct 8,2026 06:22 PM IST

"Legends Leagues A Grey Area": ICC Official Admits Corruption A Big Risk

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

Settings

Select Language

Dark / Light mode

Search

Cricket

arrow-down reddit snapchat twitter facebook comments email printer search bell top-nav reddit-fill snapchat-fill twitter-fill facebook-fill share whatsapp-fill bookmark arrow-rgt arrow-next arrow-up refresh close link cog star book zap cricket football tennis formula-1 badminton hockey golf boxing ndtv-n check left-arrow right-arrow

Live Cricket Matches

India Matches

IPL 2026

Football Matches

ISL

EPL

All Matches

India Matches

EPL

Sports Home Cricket News Legends Leagues A Grey Area ICC Official Admits Corruption A Big Risk

Related Articles

Story ProgressBack to home

"Legends Leagues A Grey Area": ICC Official Admits Corruption A Big Risk

In an interview, the ICC ACU offial was asked whether leagues featuring retired players have become a "headache". In response, he described the current situation as grey.

Read Time: 2 min

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit

E-mail

File photo of World Championship of Legends tournament

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit chief Andrew Ephgrave says legends leagues featuring retired players are a "real grey area" as they are mostly unsanctioned and pose a "reputational risk" to the game. In an interview to 'Cricinfo', Ephgrave was asked whether leagues featuring retired players have become a "headache". In response, he described the current situation as grey. "It's a real grey area because a lot of the times they are never actually sanctioned and certainly don't receive an ICC NoC (no-objection certificate). Domestic boards don't sanction them or some do. But it is a bit of a grey area because a lot of the players who play in them are not in the current framework of cricket," said the former British Police Officer.

"But quite a lot are still iconic names. I think there's a balance between heritage and (wanting to watch) the guy that you watched as you were growing up, and the risk around it," he explained.

Asked whether there is a "reputational risk" involved in these leagues continuing and if it could hurt cricket, Ephgrave said, "It could, yeah, but I think there's also a degree of it being sort of exhibition cricket or festival style cricket."

Former players of high stature, including those from India, are seen competing in legends leagues that have become common in recent years.

He then cited a legends league in Sri Lanka where team owners were indicted for corruption.

"There was a legends' league that took place in Sri Lanka in 2024 where there were allegations of corruption. I'm not going to sit here and say there's no risk. But the key is about delineating between what is the official structures of cricket, and ultimately what is retired players, who are still able to produce memories and demonstrate how they can play," he said.

"It's making sure that people recognise what that is compared to a franchise league, an ICC event, or the Ranji Trophy," he said.

Speaking about the preventive measures taken by the ACU to weed out corruption from the game Ephgrave said the body has covered 333 bilateral international matches. and "laid 28 charges in relation to anti-corruption".

Ephgrave said more players are reporting corrupt approaches than ever before.

"Hundred per cent. And a big piece of work that we've done is about changing the perception. Historically, anti-corruption was seen as an enforcement arm of cricket, and players were like: well, who's the person who's held responsible?

"Players are vulnerable and our responsibility is to educate and help them and build confidence and trust. And that's what our engagement programmes have done," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Featured Video Of The Day

India Ends CWG Boxing Campaign With Record-Breaking Seven Gold Medals

Topics mentioned in this article

International Cricket Council Cricket

Get the Latest Cricket, Asian Games 2026, Football , Hockey, Badminton Scores, F1 Results at NDTV Sports. Like Us On Facebook Or Follow Us On Twitter For More Sports Updates. You Can Also Download The NDTV Cricket App For Android Or iOS.

Advertisement

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

Advertisement

ICC Rankings

Advertisement

Now Trending

Advertisement

Trending Links

Follow us on:

facebook

twitter

Cricket

Football

More Sports

Formula 1 Tennis Hockey Badminton Golf Nba Kabaddi Shooting Swimming Table Tennis

This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics © Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2026. All rights reserved.