Andrew Hall has been banned from playing county cricket next season

Five players hoping to play county cricket in 2008 have had their applications rejected over their links with the rebel Indian Cricket League.

The England and Wales Cricket Board rejected the registrations of Wavell Hinds, Johannes van der Wath, Andrew Hall, Hamish Marshall and Justin Kemp.

Northants have been hit hardest by the ECB ruling and will miss South African all-rounders Hall and Van der Wath.

Derbyshire do not intend to appeal over the rejection of Hinds's application.

"We are obviously very disappointed that Wavell will be unable to join us this season," said Derbyshire chief executive Tom Sears.

"While we support the ECB's stance on unsanctioned events we can fully understand why Wavell has accepted the Indian Cricket League (ICL) offer.

"We have been actively looking at options for a while now in anticipation of this ruling and have the finances in place to attract the best players looking to play county cricket."

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The ICL, in which eight teams play each other in a Twenty20 format, has been rivalled by an officially backed event called the Indian Premier League (IPL).

All five players have taken part in, or are scheduled to take part in, the ICL which is classed as an unsanctioned event by the ECB.

Players involved in the IPL, the officially recognised Twenty20 competition, will not suffer the same sanctions.

Kemp was one of Kent's winter signings while Marshall had been due to play for Gloucestershire.

Cricketers who are already registered with the ECB, and who have already contracted with an unauthorised event, will not have any action taken against them.