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Tag: BCCI

  • BCCI accepts Rahul Johri’s resignation

    BCCI accepts Rahul Johri’s resignation

    KOLKATA: Rahul Johri’s day at Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to end as his resignation as the chief executive officer has been accepted. Reportedly, Johri floated his resignation letter in December and the board accepted it on Thursday, 9 July. 

    He put his papers after the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) had made way for the Sourav Ganguly-led set-up to run the board. Reportedly, he was given an extension till 30 April. His contract was to end in 2021. He also oversaw the sale of the IPL media rights deal which Star India bagged in 2017 by a record amount during his tenure.

    Johri had been appointed as the CEO in 2016. He also served as Discovery Networks Asia Pacific's executive vice-president and general manager for south Asia. Some reports claim that he could not maintain the sanctity of BCCI documents which brought him under scrutiny. Moreover, after Ganguly took over as BCCI president his responsibilities were gradually getting reduced

  • Uday Shankar speaks on IPL and sports post-Covid2019

    Uday Shankar speaks on IPL and sports post-Covid2019

    MUMBAI: It seems like nothing can put this journalist-turned-CEO down. Even as most would have been wringing their hands in despair following the disruption in the way business operates following the Covid2019 effect, Uday Shankar, the head honcho of Disney Star India, is taking things in his stride.

    “We need to break our muscle memory. No matter which business you are in, those who are able to think differently and work backwards from the new reality, they will be able to create much more value,” said Uday Shankar, while interacting with Indian Express about how his company will deal with the fact that its biggest cash cow the IPL has not happened in the 2020 season, and may not happen if the virus continues to wreak havoc in India and the world.

    The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has been mulling over options like finding a date in the calendar when the IPL can be pushed in and how the matches will be played in stadia when distancing and safety regulations may prevent large public gatherings in them.

    Shankar explained that even empty stands during the IPL when it does happen post clearances from various country boards would not be a problem. He pointed out that players could come in, and instead of coming in five days earlier, they could come in two weeks prior and serve the quarantine period before getting on the field. 

    “I don’t buy it when people say, ‘oh, the experience will be incomplete’. Sports has become bigger because people are able to watch it on multiple media. Yes, the presence of the audience at the ground does help to create an atmosphere, so we will figure out ways of creating and enhancing the atmosphere through graphics, audio, sound effects and all that,” he elaborated. “It will be a challenge and we are required to deal with it for the first time. But it will get easier. Look, on Day 1 of lockdown, even using sanitiser and mask was a big disruption. I heard so many people say that they were not able to breathe properly. Now everybody is wearing masks. We will get used to it.”

    He further went on to state that technology will step in and his company was working on ways to get the home-viewing audience’s experiences onto the TV screen.

    “It’s a creative challenge; it’s not a sporting challenge. You watch sports at home on TV or Hotstar. Whenever you’re watching a tense moment, do you not have a very intense expression on your face? So, all we need to do is capture it. And today technology is ready for that. So, you can be at home but you can also be on television,” he said. “Our ability to recreate the same atmosphere for the fans who are watching it from home is limited only by our imagination; otherwise the fan gives you enough opportunity to capture those moments of intensity and excitement. It will be a somewhat different experience but it surely will be as rich, if not richer. If this had happened 20 years ago, without broadband and hundreds of millions of smartphones with cameras, it would be a challenge. Today it’s happening at a time when we’re ready.”

    Shankar believes that the sports bodies are going to be supportive of any initiatives that Disney Star India takes to bring sport back into Indian homes. Said he: “It has hurt us greatly; but it has hurt everybody. So, I won’t read too much into this. Look, first and foremost, we have a contract. We are an honourable company and we will honour it. But you should also understand that sports bodies are also aware of the challenges in the market place… The economy and incomes have taken a hit. And as far as Star and cricket are concerned, it is the goose that lays the golden egg. We have invested more in cricket than any other media company, any time in the world. I think in my experience, all sports bodies and authorities value the fact that our commitment to cricket is so high. If there is a real problem, we will go to them and I’m sure we will get a fair audience.”

  • Sri Lanka offers to host IPL, BCCI says no

    Sri Lanka offers to host IPL, BCCI says no

    MUMBAI: The Sri Lanka Cricket Board has offered to host the thirteenth edition of Indian Premier League considering the uncertainty revolving around organising the cash-rich tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the BCCI is not keen about it. It is of the opinion that there is no point in talking about such a proposal at this moment in a "closed world" fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    The Sri Lanka cricket board, through a letter, had offered BCCI to host this year’s IPL tournament. “Apparently it will cost the BCCI and its stakeholders more than $500 million to cancel the IPL," Shammi Silva, SLC president, told Sinhala daily Lankadeepa, reports ESPNcricinfo. "So perhaps, they can minimise those losses by hosting the tournament in another country.”

    The BCCI has extended the suspension of the domestic league until further notice amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Sri Lanka has also been under stringent lockdown for the last four weeks, and the virus has not impacted the island country as much as it had in the western countries. There have been a total of 238 confirmed cases registered with only seven deaths due to the virus.

    The tournament was supposed to begin from 29 March to 24 April; however, the BCCI on 13 March postponed the tournament till 15 April amid the virus outbreak.

    SLC president says: “If they play it in Sri Lanka, it's easy for Indian audiences to watch the games on TV. There's precedent for this because they've played the IPL in South Africa before. We're waiting for the Indian board to respond to our proposal.”

    In the past, the tournaments have been played in foreign countries twice during general elections in India, once in 2009 in South Africa and the other in 2014 in the UAE. The organisers shifted the venue to foreign soil because the tournament is one of the most premium and expensive events in the country.

    "If the Indian board does agree to play the tournament here, we're ready to provide facilities in line with the requirements and recommendations of medical professionals. It would be a substantial source of income for Sri Lankan cricket as well," adds Silva.

    Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales. Global advisor Duff & Phelps, in March, estimated that the IPL ecosystem value will reduce by $700 to $1,000 million range (around 10-15 per cent) if IPL is cancelled.

  • BCCI suspends Indian Premier League 2020 until further notice

    BCCI suspends Indian Premier League 2020 until further notice

    MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India has further extended the suspension of Indian Premier League 2020 until further notice due to evolving global concern regarding COVID-19

    The official statement signed by BCCI secretary Jayesh Shah says, “The IPL Governing Council of the BCCI has decided that the IPL 2020 season will be suspended till further notice.” The domestic league was supposed to happened from 29 March, but was suspended till 15 April.

    It was expected that the BCCI may extend the suspension of IPL, as prime minister Narendra Modi had extended the nation-wide lockdown till 3 May. The statement reads, “The health and safety of the nation and everyone involved in our great sport remains our top priority.”

    In this regard, the BCCI along with the franchise owners, broadcaster, sponsors and all the stakeholders acknowledge that the IPL 2020 season will only commence when it is safe and appropriate to do so, mentions the Indian cricket board in its statement.

    Being optimistic to host the domestic cricket leagues, the BCCI has also said that it will continue to monitor and review the situation regarding a potential start date in close partnership with all of its stakeholders.

    It further states in the statement that it will also continue to take guidance from the central government, state governments and other state regulatory bodies.

    Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales. Global advisory Duff & Phelps estimates a huge loss of at least Rs 1000 crore if IPL gets cancelled due to the pandemic.    

  • BCCI postpones IPL until further notice

    BCCI postpones IPL until further notice

    MUMBAI: The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been postponed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, announced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after the government extended the lockdown till 3 May,

    IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin informed all the franchise owners about the decision to cancel..

    Media reports said that BCCI was likely to postpone IPL indefinitely following a conference call between the office-bearers. After the lock-down was extended, a conference call attended by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, secretary Jay Shah, and treasurer Arun Thakur, among others, was held to deliberate on the situation.  

    Earlier, the mega sporting event was called off until 15 April.  

    Star India, which broadcasts the IPL on its network as well as Hotstar, has invested heavily on the tournament broadcast. Star won the rights for the IPL from Sony in 2017 for a period of five years with a whopping $2.55 billion sum. With its huge reach of channels in various languages, the IPL has grown in the last two seasons. For now, the company has not commented on the impact this will have on its overall finances as well as the ad revenues it hoped to recover through the rich tournament.

  • Experts predict 25-50% lesser brand spend on rescheduled IPL 2020

    Experts predict 25-50% lesser brand spend on rescheduled IPL 2020

    MUMBAI: As the suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) comes to an end today, the ambiguity around the cash-rich tournament has increased amid the extension of nation-wide lockdown due to the COVID-19 till 3 May. This will heavily impact the sponsors, advertisers, and Star India, the official broadcaster.

    India’s biggest cricketing event was supposed to start from 29 March, but got suspended till 15 April. As per media reports, sources within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) say that IPL is likely to be suspended for an indefinite period with the government’s decision to continue the lockdown. BCCI, being optimistic to host the game soon, is yet to come out with an official statement on its future.

    “With the delay in IPL, the brands are likely to re-look their advertising strategy,” says DigitalKites senior vice president Amit Lall. “I don’t believe advertisers will wait till the year-end, provided IPL gets scheduled in August and October; they may park some budget for the tournament but will also re-strategise themselves for other available properties to garner eyeballs for their brand.”

    Lall adds that the majority of brands associated with the IPL allot at least 60-70 per cent of their spends on the game. But the pandemic could induce brands to halve their original spend.

    “Most of the official sponsors associated with the IPL are international brands and they function according to a calendar year from January to December, unlike Indian companies. With IPL being scheduled in the year-end, it would impact the brands to get estimated numbers,” says Lall.

    It’s expected that the sponsors may lose at least Rs 1200 crore over the uncertainty around the IPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sponsorship money includes Rs 600 crore in on-ground and Rs 500 crore through team sponsorships, an Economic Times report had said.

    On a similar line, Dentsu Aegis Network India chief executive officer Anand Bhadkamkar says: “It’s more likely that brand spend would be lesser as the event is likely to be rescheduled to the year-end. Since the situation has become so grim, the overall advertising spends, eventually, have come down this year due to the COVID-19 situation.”

    The October-December quarter is also the festive season when brands make their highest spends of the year during back-to-back festivals. If IPL coincides with this period, brands can multiply their impact using the property.

    The saving grace for the IPL is that despite ad spends likely to be lower than usual, its brand value will remain intact and the interest around it won’t go away being the most premium property in the country, believes Bhadkamkar.

    He adds, “We may come out of the situation soon, but due to large gatherings it’s possible that the virus may resurface, as there is no vaccine available yet. The government may ask people to follow social distancing after the lockdown ends and this may impact the footfalls of the stand audience.”

    Echoing the same, Initiative chief executive officer Vaishali Verma points out that post June, many brands are likely to stand on their feet again. However, sectors such as FMCG and personal care are doing good even during the crisis.

    She adds, “A lot of money is involved with the domestic cricketing event and things may definitely improve after the IPL is organised." She expects that at least 20-25 per cent of revenue may be lost with the tournament taking time to be organised.

    RunAdam managing director and chief executive officer Yeragaselvan Kumarasamy believes, "IPL 2020 has to happen this year, as it’s not just only about cricket, but multiple businesses are also growing with it and given the current situation, we need something like IPL to re-boost the economy.” He believes August is a good alternative time for this year’s edition.

    The re-scheduling of IPL may impact other international cricketing events such as Asia Cup, England homes series which are slated in August. It will also impact the availability of foreign players who have other commitments in other parts of the year. “We, earlier, have organised the game without some foreign players, who were not able to play. Hence, missing out on a few players from two-three countries won’t impact the tournament much,” Kumarasamy says.

    IPL has been the talk of the town not only for advertisers, sponsors, broadcasters and organisers, but also for every cricket enthusiastic in the country. Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales.

  • IPL 2020 sees further extension as lockdown extends

    IPL 2020 sees further extension as lockdown extends

    MUMBAI: The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League has been postponed further with the central government extending the 21-day nation-wide lockdown amid COVID-19 till 3 May. The cash-rich domestic event was scheduled to happen from 29 March but was suspended till 15 April.

    According to a news report of India Today, sources said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will only be able to review the situation post 3 May when the government would be in a position to come out with further guidelines amid COVID-19 crisis. The richest cricket body is yet to come out with an official communique on the further postponement of the tournament.

    This is for the first time in the history of IPL that the game has been postponed. As speculated, the other windows that are been most talked about are August or October. However, for that, the whole cricketing calendar of the year has to be rejigged.

    Meanwhile, sources speaking to ANI have also pointed out that the IPL is likely to be postponed for an indefinite time period. “Since lockdown has been extended, we have to postpone the IPL for the time being, the decision will be intimated, we will discuss the matter later today,” sources within BCCI told ANI.

    Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the 21-day lockdown period, which was slated to end on 14 April, for three more weeks approximately till 3 May amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Practically speaking, when life has come to a standstill everywhere in the world, where does sport have a future in this,” BCCI president Saurav Ganguly had told the New Indian Express.

    Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales. Global advisory Duff
    & Phelps estimates a huge loss of at least $1000 million if IPL gets cancelled due to the pandemic.

  • BCCI mulls closed-stadium IPL 2020 in July

    BCCI mulls closed-stadium IPL 2020 in July

    MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is contemplating a slew of options to ensure that IPL 2020 is not cancelled. One of the options is to have July as an alternate window.

    According to a CNBC-TV18 report, a BCCI official, on the condition of anonymity, has said that the board is looking to host IPL matches possibly in July or latest during winter this year. The option to play closed-stadium tournament will be the last resort to make IPL 2020 happen, says the official.

    Amid the COVID-19 lockdown, IPL has been suspended till 15 April, which was scheduled to begin from 29 March. This is the first time in its 11-year-long history that the domestic marquee event was cancelled due to the unprecedented havoc created by the pandemic.

    The BCCI is not in favour of cancelling the domestic tournament this year as there are billions of dollars at stake. Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales.  

    The Indian government is also looking at extending the lockdown. The official also mentioned, “It will be difficult to have a full-fledged tournament under the current window till the beginning of June, if the lockdown is extended.”

    Global advisors Duff & Phelps estimated a huge loss of at least Rs 1000 crore if IPL gets cancelled due to the pandemic.

    The change in the schedule of the IPL may impact the cricket calendar of the year as important cricketing events that are slated for the year are Asia Cup 2020 and International Cricket Council T20 World Cup in August and October, respectively.

  • IPL 2020 on the brink of cancellation

    IPL 2020 on the brink of cancellation

    MUMBAI: As the pandemic Covid-19 keeps spreading unabated, the hope of even a delayed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is fading away. Even as the BCCI has been tight-lipped about the richest cricket tournament in the world, a report in Indian Express says that the entire event is likely to be cancelled.

    According to the newspaper, the BCCI is waiting for an official announcement from the government regarding visas. Since a chunk of the players come from foreign countries, the lack of international flights will be a barrier in getting them here. For now, the government has suspended all foreign visas till 15 April.

    Currently, the country is on a 21-day lockdown till 15 April. Once the first phase of lockdown is called off, the BCCI will meet with the franchise owners to take a decision. According to Indian Express, there will be status quo on the auctions when the sport resumes next year. Initially, there was to be a mega-auction in 2021 which will not happen now.

    The report, citing a source from the IPL administration, spoke of the worries of maintaining social distancing in the stadium. Rather than risk it, a suspension is the better option. With even the June Tokyo Olympics called off for this year, the IPL will not take any chances.

    Until now, various authorities such as BCCI president Saurav Ganguly kept mentioning that the IPL may see a shorter version this year but would not be called off. The league was supposed to commence on 29 March.

    Star India, which broadcasts the IPL on its network as well as Hotstar, has invested heavily on the tournament broadcast. Star won the rights for the IPL from Sony in 2017 for a period of five years with a whopping $2.55 billion sum. With its huge reach of channels in various languages, the IPL has grown in the last two seasons. For now, the company has not commented on the impact this will have on its overall finances as well as the ad revenues it hoped to recover through the rich tournament.

  • BCCI chief uncertain about future of IPL amid Covid19 crisis

    BCCI chief uncertain about future of IPL amid Covid19 crisis

    MUMBAI: Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly is uncertain about the future of the IPL tournament amid rising cases of the novel coronavirus in the nation.

    He told the Press Trust of India, “I can’t say anything at the moment. We are at the same place where we were on the day we postponed. Nothing has changed in the last 10 days. So, I don’t have an answer to it. Status quo remains.”

    Prime minister Narendra Modi during his address to the nation on Tuesday put the whole country under lockdown for the next 21 days, to curb the spread of the novel virus. He urged citizens to stay home and follow the shutdown religiously. The 21-day lockdown period completes on 15 April, the date to which the IPL has been suspended till.

    Ruling out any possibility of something being planned three or four months down the line, the BCCI chief says, “You can’t plan anything. The FTP is scheduled. It’s there and you can’t change the FTP. All around the world, cricket, and more so sports have stopped.”

    Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales. Moreover, Duff & Phelps, a global advisor that helps clients protect, restore and maximise value, has expected a loss for the tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    In its IPL Brand Valuation Report 2019, it has considered two scenarios: 1) Truncated IPL with the number of matches reduced to half; 2) The entire IPL 13 season getting cancelled.

    The report says, “Under scenario one, the IPL ecosystem value estimated by the Duff and Phelps last year is expected to reduce by $200-350 million range (3-5 per cent). Whereas, in the second scenario IPL ecosystem value to reduce by $700-1,000 million range (around 10-15 per cent).”

    It will have to be seen how the suspension will impact the revenue potential of the league. And, how the BCCI will compensate telecast rights holder Star India for the loss of telecast days, if such a need does arise. It was expected that Star would raise close to Rs 3,000 crore this year through the IPL in terms of partnerships, sponsorships and air time deals.