Royals’ move worries BCCI

The initiative by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals to create a global brand in a partnership with Hampshire, Cape Cobras and Trinidad and Tobago has put the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a spot of bother. Reacting to the issue Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer said the franchise has “not sought permission” for such a venture.

Shetty told a leading Indian daily that “Rajasthan Royals have not written to us and have not sought permission on this. In case the Indian cricketers, who are contracted with the board, have to participate, they’ll have to seek our permission. We have not heard anything from anyone as yet and the players can’t take part unless we give them the permission.”

On the other hand Royals say that they are confidant there would be no conflict of interest between them and the Indian board. “The IPL has been aware of our plans and have been nothing but supportive. We know exactly where we stand and there has never been an intention to create any sort of conflict with the BCCI.”

BCCI honchos meet Sena Supremo over IPL threat

ICC vice-president and veteran politician Sharad Pawar along with present Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar met local political party Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav Thackeray at the latter’s residence appealing to stand down from their decision of protesting Australian cricketers from taking part in the Indian Premier League in Mumbai. The meeting followed after Sena raised their protest condemning the string of attacks on Indian students living in Australia.

The meeting was reported to be for about two hours where the BCCI representatives explained the concept of IPL and how the staging of IPL will benefit the local Maharashtra cricketers. “We presented our viewpoint before Thackeray on this critical issue. We tried to convince him that only one or two Australian players will participate in the IPL matches and by not allowing all IPL matches it is the state players who will lose ultimately,” explained Manohar.

“We also explained to them the format of the IPL teams and matches and how there were one or two Australian players in each team. Thackeray has asked for a detailed presentation on the issue which we will be providing in couple of days and thereafter he would consider our request,” he added.

Following Sena’s threat to disrupt IPL matches in Mumbai, Indian home minister P Chidambaram guaranteed security to Australian cricketers. This was followed up by IPL finally agreeing to share security plans with Australian Cricketer’s Association (ACA). Sena also threatened to boycott Kolkata Knight Rider’s co-owner Shah Ruhk Khan upcoming movie ‘My name is Khan’ as the actor raised his voice in support of welcoming Pakistani cricketers to play in IPL.

New IPL franchise base price is US$225 million

In a latest announcement from Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council, it is confirmed that two new teams will be added from 2011, the fourth edition. The base price of these teams will be US$225 million, an amount four times the base price during the first auction held in 2007. Lalit Modi, IPL Chairman also announced that the 2010 edition will begin on March 24 in Hyderabad and the final and the third place play – off match will be held on April 25 at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The meeting was held a few days after Lalit Modi was assured of his IPL top job until 2012 by BCCI board president Shashank Manohar. Another important point discusses is for the franchises to keep with them a certain number of players, before the new auction ahead of the 2011 IPL. “The current franchises would be allowed to keep a certain number of players; the modalities are being worked out,” Modi said.

The base price of US$225 million shows the confidence the league has in itself and the ever-growing Twenty20 format. Rajasthan Royals which sold 11.7% stake to Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty for a whopping US$15.4 million after their historic triumph in the first edition shows IPL is growing bigger and bigger and supports the valuation of the new franchises.

Ahmadabad and Lucknow are the two cities favored to own a franchise and Bollywood actor Salman Khan has expressed his interest to own one of them. The league’s expansion to 10 teams will mean that the fourth edition in 2011 will see 94 matches played in 45 days, provided the format remains the same will challenge player’s fitness levels.

IPL committee has also decided to remove the cap of two on the number of centrally contracted Australian players the franchise can sign. The cap was on in response to Cricket Australia’s concerns of exodus of its players to the lucrative league when the league was launched. Modi also said he had received request from 12 Pakistan players to be part of the auction on January 19 to enable them to play in the third edition of IPL. The governing council has fixed a cap of US$750,000 for each franchise for the upcoming auction.

ICL issues notice to ICC, BCCI and ECB

The rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) has issued its first legal notice to International Cricket Council (ICC), Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after the official cricket boards banned the players associated with the unofficial league. In its notice the Essel Sports Private Ltd (ESPL) has claimed that the unlawful ban has deterred and prevented prospective players from involving themselves with ICL.

The notice was issued by London based legal firm Ingram Winter Green on November 16, and has asked the ICC, BCCI and ECB to respond before December 7. In it’s the ICL has named ECB as the first respondent, while the BCCI is the second and ICC is the third respondent. According to the notice, the ESPL is the first claimant, while the player, termed as ‘professional players’ are the second claimant. The reason for unnamed professional players, the notice claims “The names of those individuals have been withheld to prevent retaliatory measures ahead of possible pending litigation.”

According to the notice, “From the inception, the ICL has received a hostile reaction from the BCCI. Early approaches in correspondence in which the ICL aimed to achieve co-operation (with the BCCI) were rebuffed by BCCI. BCCI has since engaged in a range of activities clearly calculated to deter and prevent prospective players from involving themselves with ICL, and intended to obstruct the activities of the ICL. The boycott of the ICL has had a serious effect on the players. The boycott of the ICL prevents the players carrying on their trade as professional cricketers in the UK if they also enter into contracts to play in the ICL. In the premises, the ECB is committing an unlawful restraint of trade by implementing the boycott of the ICL in the UK.”

An ICL spokesperson said “We want just justice, that’s all. There are a lot of issues involved including the restraint of trade and threatening of players who were part of the ICL.” ICL floated its cricket league in 2007 and managed to run it with little success for two editions before as many as 150 players opted for amnesty offered by BCCI and other national boards earlier this year.

Prasad and Robin sacked as coaches

Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh are sacked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from the role as bowling and fielding coach of the Indian cricket team with immediate effect. The decision came as a surprise on the day when the Indian team for the series against Australia was announced. The board has not offered any explanations for the sacking but with a one line e-mail stating their decision.

Venkatesh Prasad said, “I have been not been informed about this but if this is true, I am deeply disappointed and hurt. I have no doubt that I have done my job for the Indian team to the best of my abilities. I will try to contact the BCCI and find out what I did wrong that has led them to take this decision.” It is also believed that the poor performance by Indian team in the two ICC tournaments – the World Twenty20 and Champions Trophy led to the discharge of the two Indian coaches.

However, Prasad already has a job in the capacity of bowling coach for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings and Robin Singh recently signed a contract as coach with the Mumbai Indians. Meanwhile, there are reports that one among Andy Roberts or Fannie DeViller or Allan Donald will be appointed as the new bowling coach of the Indian team.

BCCI signs new accord with IMG

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally put an end to the contract dispute with IMG over managing the Indian Premier League for the next eight years. The contract was into jeopardy when BCCI secretary N Srinivasan terminated the contract as the fee for IPL 2009 was Rs.33 crore (US$ 6.7 million) compared to the amount initially agreed upon. According to the new deal BCCI will pay IMG Rs. 27 crore (US$ 5.5 million) per year for the next years.

Many franchise owners raised their concerns over removal of IMG and it required the interference of former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar to put the matter to rest. Later it was decided that BCCI President Shashank Manohar will find a compatible solution and present it at the BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 28, 2009.

The board also announced that the player’s income in IPL 2009 will be taxable at 15% by South African Revenue service. President Manohar also had a strong word for IPL franchises. “There were reports about franchises having written letters to the board. They have no right to interfere in the internal matters of the board. Such a thing will not be tolerated.”

Shashank Manohar on hot seat to solve IMG ouster

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working committee met on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 and has appointed the board President Shashank Manohar to look at the IMG sacking by board’s Secretary N. Srinivasan who also owns an Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. Rajiv Shukla, a vice-president of BCCI said, “BCCI chief Shashank Manohar has been authorized to deal with the IMG issue and report to the board at its AGM on September 24.”

The expulsion of IMG received strong protest from many franchise owners including Mukesh Ambani of Mumbai Indians and Shah Rukh Khan of Kolkata Knight Riders. Similar concerns were also echoed by managements of Jaipur and Delhi. In reaction to the decision, Mukesh Ambani wrote a letter to former BCCI President Sharad Pawar, who is still a powerful person in the Indian board, expressing his disappointment.

According to reports in a daily, the letter states “I am personally shocked at the unilateral decision of doing away with the services of the IMG. We are only two seasons old, and we need the continued participation and support of the most capable partners globally to take the IPL from strength to strength. It is also worrying to me that such a significant decision in relation to IPL has been taken without even so much as consulting the franchisees. I strongly believe that this decision, if taken forward, will destroy substantial value for all the stakeholders, especially the franchisees, and dilute the success of IPL in the coming years.”

“It’s a matter of sincere concern and anxiety, that IMG, who have been an integral part of the tournament management and it success so far, have been expelled due to failure of commercial negotiations. This is evident in the recent ICC World T20 Championships, which took place in England, the delivery of which was nowhere near the quality of the IPL,” the newspaper quoted Shah Rukh Khan.

Following strong reactions from franchises Pawar wrote a letter to Manohar questioning the decision and warned that such an independent move will put the investments of the board and the stakeholders’ in jeopardy. According to BCCI sources Pawar met Manohar and IPL commissioner Lalit Modi to discuss the issue.

IMG managed the first two editions of the IPL with the 2008 edition costing US$ 9.54 million as claimed by Indian board. The cost was lowered to US$ 6.7 million this year for the 2009 edition. However the BCCI is keen to bring that down to around US$ 5.5 million a year.

BCCI sanctions Champions League bailout

The Indian cricket board has sanctioned an extraordinary bailout package of Rs 22 crore (approx. USD 5 million) for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings who qualified for the Champions League in 2008. The tournament was scheduled for December 3, 2008 was called off due to terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26. Mumbai was one of the venues along with Bangalore and Chennai for hosing the tournament.

Apart from two IPL teams no other teams that qualified was compensated by their respective national boards. However, Cricket Australia is planning to provide some compensation to Western Australia and Victoria from the revenue they expect to generate in the upcoming Champions League. The other teams to qualify for last year’s tournament are Dolphins and Titans from South Africa, Middlesex from England and Sialkot Stallions from Pakistan.

The BCCI is the founding partner of the tournament along with Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) and therefore these three boards enjoy the decision making rights. According to reliable source, there is a mixed opinion within the board regarding the compensation sum given. “Some feel that the compensation is reasonable considering the money that the franchises would have possibly earned from the tournament. But others have expressed concerns that such a move could set a bad precedent. They fear that other IPL franchises may demand similar bailouts if such situations crop up again in the future, even during the IPL.”

According to an official from IPL’s governing council, the sum given was reasonable considering the amount of revenue that IPL teams would have generated had the tournament was held. The official said, “The IPL’s duty and obligation is towards its franchises and a fruitful, long-term relationship. The IPL’s promise to the franchises was that if you qualify for the Champions League, you will play. But due to unfortunate circumstances, that didn’t happen last year and we had to honor that commitment in the best manner possible.”

The 2009 Champions League is scheduled to take place in India involving 12 teams. The teams participating will include three teams from India, two each from Australia, South Africa and England and one each from Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies.

BCCI Backs its Players on WADA

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in support of its players, has rejected the debatable whereabouts clause applied by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code which was adopted by International Cricket Council (ICC) from January 1, 2009. The BCCI has termed it “unreasonable” and therefore the decision has put ICC in a fix as the move would allowed ICC to globalize cricket by making it an Olympic sport.

Te ICC will be required to find a solution before the start of the Champions Trophy in September, before which all the players who come under ICC anti-doping testing pool need to abide by the anti-doping code. So far, players from all participating countries have agreed to abide by the code, despite some concerns, except 11 players from India, that include captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbajan Singh and other leading cricketers.

The new WADA code requires players to inform ICC, three months in advance, a location and time that the players will be available each day in that quarter for testing. If the player is not in the location at the time specified, then he will have a strike recorded against his name. Three such strikes can result in the player being penalized with up to a two-year ban.

BCCI President Shashank Manohar said, “We believe the clause with regard to whereabouts of cricketers is unreasonable for three reasons. Firstly, some Indian cricketers have security cover, and when you have a security cover, you cannot disclose your whereabouts to a third person. Secondly, the privacy of individuals cannot be invaded. Third, the constitution of India gives a guarantee to every citizen regarding his privacy which cannot be invaded. We can appreciate players being tested even when they are not playing. But if ICC or WADA want to test the players, they can inform the board which will get the players at the required location within 24 hours. This is our suggestion.”

The BCCI is also clear that in cricket, medication will have less impact on players’ performance compared to any other Olympic sport. “Cricket is not like most other Olympic sport such as athletics,” said a BCCI official. “Skills are paramount in cricket and muscle-enhancing and endurance-boosters do not count for much when it comes to performance. There is the odd exception but even in those cases, system abuse has only led to an early end to players’ careers.”

The whereabouts clause has not only bothered Indian cricketers but sports persons all over. Leading Tennis players Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have spoken out against reveling whereabouts information in advance. FIFA, the world football governing body is not yet fully WADA compliant due to similar concerns; however the anti-doping system has got the backing of World number one Roger Federer.

Ganguly: Cricket Administration Debut

Former Indian cricket captain, Sourav Ganguly has set to the task of getting into cricket administration, and as a first step he sat in on the three hour BCCI’s technical committee meeting held recently in Mumbai. According to reports, Ganguly is also set to contest the elections in his home state, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). Ganguly, who has been the face of modern India on the cricket field, expressed his confidence of playing a pivotal role off the field as well.

“At some point, I will find a way to get into the CAB where people have known me since I was a kid. I am convinced that I can play a positive role. Having played the game at the highest level and being part of the system, I know what it takes to make a difference. I intend to take it step by step,” the elegant left-hander told.

The BCCI is also keen to have Ganguly on board, the chances of which are brighter, if he wins the CAB elections. Moreover, Ganguly needs to attend a minimum of two annual general meetings (AGM) to hold a BCCI post. And if things fall in place for India’s most successful Test captain, Sourav Ganguly can eye the post of BCCI President in the year 2014, when East Zone can have their candidature as per the rotation policy.

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