From correspondents in Delhi, India, 10:00 PM IST

London: American billionaire Sir Allen Stanford is in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for creating an English version of the Indian Premier League (IPL)

According to The Times the Texan banker has said that he has discussed developing an English counterpart to the glitzy tournament on the sub-continent and claims to have a group of private investors waiting in the wings.

Stanford, who Monday made a surprise Pound50,000 donation to the Lord's Taverners charity, said: 'It's come up in discussions. The ECB are conservative. They are very, very carefully analysing it. I would look favourably on a proposal. I'm willing to be a big supporter.'

In a statement Monday night, the ECB said that discussions between Stanford, the West Indian Cricket Board and the ECB had been 'very productive', but refused to comment on the possibility of creating an EPL or even whether it had been discussed.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)