IPL winners to take part - Smith

Leicestershire have won the Twenty 20 Cup twice

Leicestershire chief executive David Smith has said he believes the winners of the Indian Premier League will join the Twenty20 English Premier League.

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Tuesday there will be a two-division competition involving two overseas teams from 2010.

Smith told BBC Radio Leicester: "One will be [Allen] Stanford's and one will be the IPL winners.

However the ECB has not yet confirmed who the two teams will be.

A radical proposal by David Stewart and Keith Bradshaw, which would have left out half of the counties, was rejected by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

What the ECB are looking to do is have a pool of round about 30 or 40 overseas players David Smith

And Smith said: "We're obviously delighted that the County Championship is staying as it is.

"Obviously there is increased Twenty20, which all the counties were after, and it will be over a two month period unlike the Twenty20 competition that we had sandwiched into 16 days this year."

Smith also confirmed the English Premier League could include more overseas players who would be drafted by the county teams.

He said: "What the ECB are looking to do is have a pool of round about 30 or 40 overseas players that will be contracted to them and they will be drafted.

"There are some quite exciting plans and if that's the case some of the smaller counties would have first call on which players they wanted.

"My understanding is we will be able to use the one overseas player that we've got."