JOIN USSahara Parivar dumps BCCI
In a move that could have far-reaching ramifications on the conduct of the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League, Sahara India Parivar, the owners of the Pune Warriors team, decided to pull out of the T20 league citing some ‘injustices’ meted out to them by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Dealing a double blow the same day, Sahara stated they will also snap their 11-year association as the sponsors of the Indian cricket team.
Sahara’s decision couldn’t have come at a worse time for the BCCI whose top-brass, along with other eight franchisees, was bracing up for the scheduled IPL auction V here on Saturday.
While the auction itself went on expected lines, Sahara’s absence from the event cast a giant cloud on the proceedings.
With Sahara’s voluntary exit after the disbandment of the Kochi Tuskers Kerala last year, the cash-rich league may return to the original eight-team format which means the authorities will have to draw a fresh schedule. The rejigging of the schedule in itself will not be of great concern for the organisers, but what certainly will worry them is the fate of the Warriors’ players now.
“Please somebody tell me what’s happening with my Pune team,” tweeted Aussie Mitchell Marsh, perhaps echoing the sentiment of his team-mates.
Board cautious
Caught off-guard by Sahara’s decision to disassociate itself from BCCI at every level and open 20 sporting centres across the country instead, the Board expectedly reacted with a measure of caution.
“It’s unfortunate,” said IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla. “I can’t comment anything on it as we haven’t received anything in writing from the party concerned. All we know is that they have issued a media statement, so it’s difficult to say anything more on it,” he noted after the first-round of the auction here on Saturday.
BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagadale indicated the Board’s willingness to sort out the matter with Sahara. “We intend to contact Sahara Adventure Sports Limited as soon as practicable to clarify its intentions. Additionally, the Trading Window will re-open on February 6 and Sahara Adventure Sports Limited will then have a further opportunity to take new players.”
Sahara’s main complaint was BCCI’s refusal to change or amend clauses that would have enabled the Warriors to have more money at their disposal at the auction. With their skipper Yuvraj Singh ruled out of the forthcoming edition due to illness, the Warriors had asked the IPL Board to add the ailing skipper’s $1.9 million to their existing purse of $1.4m, a request shot down by the authorities. Sahara said BCCI’s decision amounted to denying them ‘natural justice.’
Chronicling the troubled relationship with BCCI, Sahara alleged their first attempt to enter the IPL was thwarted in 2008 when they were disqualified owing to a small technical issue on “whims and fancies of the Board” and they entered IPL IV on the basis of information that 94 matches will be played among 10 teams.
“The bid price was accordingly calculated, but only 74 matches were played. We are still pursuing continuously with the BCCI to refund the extra bid money proportionately. It has been denied on the basis of strict rules,” Sahara Group chairman Subrato Roy said in Mumbai.
As if pulling out of the IPL wasn’t bad enough, Sahara also ended the Indian team’s sponsorship deal which was to end on December 31 next year. Sahara had won the sponsorship contract for close to Rs 500 crore after outbidding Bharti Airtel in May 2010.
Defending the decision, Roy said he had enough of it. “The decision we took to end ties was not a bad one at all. Any relationship does not break on one single issue only. We had a long relationship,” Roy said.
What led to fall-out
*Sahara claim that they put in a high bid price to enter IPL IV, based on information that the tournament will include 94 games. But with the competition reduced to 74 matches, they have been pursuing the BCCI to refund the "extra bid money" proportionately but have met with little success
* Their request for an open auction for IPL IV, as against player retention, and to have an extra foreign player were denied
*Their request to add the price of Yuvraj Singh — absent from the tournament due to illness — to Pune Warriors’ auction purse was rejected by BCCI
* Allege that their first attempt to enter the IPL was thwarted in 2008
* Main players playing for Pune: Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Graeme Smith and Angelo Mathews
What next?
* Flexible: Roy says he is willing to ‘reconsider’ his decision to withdraw if the BCCI initiates negotiation. BCCI has said in a press release it’s willing to discuss the matter
* Breather for players: Roy promises to take care of players’ monetory issues till such a point when the BCCI finds another owner for the team or another suitable arrangement is made to ensure players’ participation in IPL V
* Next BCCI move: In case BCCI isn’t ready for talks, the earliest they can come to a decision is on Feb 13 during the Working Committee meeting. The IPL too might call for its Governing Council meeting to deliberate on the matter