Chappell's talent hunt for IPL's Jaipur team
11 Mar 2008, 1358 Hrs

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Chennai, Mar 11 (ANI): Former Indian cricket team coach Greg Chappell, who has been hired to coach the Jaipur team of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has scouted for talent for the team.

"It's a challenging job. I think finding talent and developing talent for the future is going to be very important not just for the IPL owners, but also for cricket boards and cricket associations around the world," Greg Chappell said after launching a hunt for young cricket players on a TV reality show.

Speaking about Twenty20 cricket, he said: "It's something that's new. It's interesting. I think we have to wait and see how it develops."

The 44-day IPL starts on April 18 and will feature 59 matches.

No single event has made global cricket news in this manner since Kerry Packer's circuit did over 30 years ago. But, unlike the IPL, the late Australian media magnate's event was a breakaway league.

The eight franchise teams of the IPL -- Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mohali and Mumbai -- have a budget of up to five million dollars each for a maximum of eight players contracted for a period of three years.

Reliance Industries and spirit company UB Group, owned by Vijay Mallya, bought franchises at a glitzy auction in Mumbai last month to bid for 78 players in the Twenty20 IPL. (ANI)