In an extraordinary criticism, Gill told English-language TV news channel CNN-IBN that cricket had become “an instrument of business,” and changes introduced to make the IPL's Twenty20 format more popular for TV audiences were bad for the game, the Press Trust of India reported Sunday.

The IPL has increased from eight to 10 teams this season and attracts many of the leading players from around the world, who earn high salaries based on what the teams are prepared to pay for them at auction. It has also sparked interest around the world in Twenty20 cricket, which can be over in three hours and features often risky shotmaking by batsmen.

But Gill said IPL stakeholders should not be allowed to hold top positions in the BCCI.

“Those who control the game, that is BCCI, they have a direct interest as owners of teams, as people who have a direct benefit from it and this is something very dangerous,” Gill was quoted as saying. “Major office bearers are on both sides.

“Those who are to make rules for everyone, for all aspects of the game and keeping in view the interest of the game and the country and the long term, have to be totally apart from being involved in IPL in any way.” Gill said as well as impacting on the longer, more traditional cricket formats, the money offered in the IPL was threatening player loyalty to their countries. Some older players already have retired from international cricket to play in the IPL.

“The five-day test is under challenge and you see nobody turns up for it, crowds have already been moved away. Even the 50-over is reduced to T20 and I sometimes say jokingly that we'll go to T5 and then T1 and then half an over,” Gill reportedly told the TV network. “People will not be that keen to play for the national team, as they will be for a commercial team. Certainly, test cricket and India's position in it will be affected.” Gill said the cricket season had been altered to accommodate the IPL, the playing field had been reduced in size - making it easier for batsmen to hit boundaries - controversial new bats had been permitted and the bowler was “the victim” in the game.

The IPL's “focus is earning money. Now two new teams have been bought and one of the gentlemen who has bought ... said 'look this is business, we bought it for business and our job is to earn from it. Cricket is an instrument of business.”' He also said IPL should be forced to pay for the police deployed to ensure security at matches in April and May because it was leaving cities “unguarded or less guarded.” The second edition of the IPL was moved to South Africa last year because national security officials were concerned about the schedule conflict with national elections stretching police resources too much.

The IPL teams are owned by some of India's wealthiest business people and celebrities.

The league issued a statement last week saying the brand value of the IPL had doubled in the last 12 months to $4.13 billion, citing figures from British-based Brand Finance valuation consultancy.

The IPL said the three-year-old IPL brand had a higher value than English Premier League football club Manchester United.

The Chennai Super Kings was considered the most valuable club, worth an estimated $48.4 million, while the Kolkata Knight Riders, co-owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, was valued at $46 million.

The IPL is administered by a 14-member governing council, led by chairman and IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, a BCCI vice president, architect of the league and a member of a wealthy Indian family.

The governing council also includes BCCI president Shashank Manohar, who is a prominent lawyer, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, who is a leading industrialist and head of the All India Chess Federation, former BCCI president Inderjit Singh Bindra, BCCI honorary treasurer MP Pandove, and former Indian test captains Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

Modi did not respond to a call from The Associated Press seeking comment.