Taking the first step towards laying out a fresh roadmap for the controversy-marred Indian Premier league, the BCCI on Sunday decided to float tenders for two new teams to replace the suspended franchises of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, which will return to the cash-rich league in 2018.
At its working committee meeting here, the Board decided not to terminate CSK and RR, both of which are currently serving a two-year suspension recommended by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice R M lodha committee for their involvement in 2013 IPl spot-fixing scandal.
Sunday’s decision by the BCCI will make the next two IPls an eight-team affair. However, the BCCI did not clarify whether IPl will be a 10-team affair from 2018, when CSK and RR will come back to the fold.
“IPl Working Group had made four recommendations out of which one recommendation has been accepted by the BCCI working committee. The two vacant slots (created by CSK and RR) should be auctioned for two years. After that, we will decide whether to go for two more franchises or we should confine IPl to eight teams,” IPl chairman Rajeev Shukla said after the meeting.
Asked if new franchises will be from Chennai and Jaipur, Shukla said:”City preference is not there as the highest bidder will get to choose.”
Among other important decisions taken at Sunday’s meeting, the Board has scheduled its Annual General Meeting for November 9.
The BCCI said it will invite fresh bids for two new teams, which will be competing from 2016 onwards to complete the eight-team format of the Twenty20 event.
The Working Committee’s decision was strictly in lines with the suggestions of the IPl Working Group, which comprised IPl chairman Rajeev Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, Sourav Ganguly and treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary.
“The Justice lodha committee interim report will be implemented fully. The two franchisee teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals remain suspended for two years. BCCI will float tenders and invite bids for two new teams to replace CSK & RR in the Indian Premier league for 2016 and 2017 (2 years),” the BCCI said in a statement.
In their bid to bring in more transparency and accountability on financial fronts, the BCCI decided to update the names of all the former players and umpires, who are receiving monthly pension from the parent body. Also, as per Manohar’s declaration, expenditure in excess of `25 lakh will also be put up in board’s website.
Shukla said that the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals players' interest will be protected.
“The future of Chennai and Rajasthan players will be fully safe. They don’t need to worry about anything. The players' interest will be protected. There will be no problems to the players,” he stressed.
Asked whether the board is confident of attracting bidders, Shukla said, “We are getting the feedback, we are getting fillers, so we will definitely get the bidders.”
He insisted that bids would be invited for just two years. “Right now bids will be invited for two years only for the two vacant slots. I told you when we are inviting tenders for two years, where is the question of extension,” said Shukla.
chinese company takes over from pepsi Mobile company Vivo on Sunday replaced PepsiCo as the title sponsor of the high-profile Indian Premier league, a change necessitated by the beverage giant’s sudden pullout from a five-year deal that was to end in 2017.
“The IPl title sponsorship right has been assigned to M/S Vivo mobiles. Vivo is to give the Bank Guarantee in next ten days,” the BCCI said in a statement announcing decisions taken at its all-powerful working committee meeting.
However, the Board did not disclose the financial details of the new deal.
PepsiCo became title sponsors of the IPl in 2013 after they bid a whopping `396.8 crore for five seasons. Before Pepsi, DlF had paid `200 crore to become title sponsors of the tournament from 2008 till 2012.
PepsiCo’s decision to end its deal with IPl was reportedly caused by the spot-fixing scandal which shook the game in 2013.
Although the company did not come on record to specify the reasons but it was reported that PepsiCo felt the spot- fixing scandal had brought the IPl in disrepute.
“Nike Contract as the official apparel sponsors of the Indian Cricket Team has been extended,” the BCCI said.