Kolkata: Giving rise to fresh controversy ahead of the Champion's Trophy, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has barred Indian players from wearing the logo of team-sponsor, Sahara group, in the Sri Lankan tournament beginning on Wednesday. Only a day after the resolution of the month-long tussle over the sponsorship contract, the ICC shot off a letter to the BCCI on Wednesday night, contending that letting the Indian players wear the Sahara logo would compromise the commercial interest of tournament-sponsor, South African Airways, as the Indian company was also into the airline business.Though BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya refused to comment on the fresh development, Board sources said that ICC's letter took them by surprise.

The sources said that BCCI last month gave the ICC a list of other businesses of the Sahara group during the world cricket body's Executive Board meeting in Dubai to convince it that airline was not the sole business of the Sahara group. The latest ICC missive, however, rejected the BCCI's contention and directed that Indian players would not be allowed to use the Sahara logo during the tournament. India plays its Champion's trophy lung-opener against Zimbabwe at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 14. It was understood that BCCI was engaged in hectic parleys to dissolve the latest crisis.


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