India’s cricket chiefs were on Monday set for a prolonged tussle with their disgruntled long-time sponsor, the Sahara group, after both sides failed to resolve issues. Sahara had severed ties with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on February 4 for what it said was a “one-sided emotional relationship” with the governing body.
Sahara has not only been the national team’s sponsor since 2000, but also owns the Pune Warriors franchise in the Indian Premier League which the group had bought last year for $370 million. The BCCI’s working committee met in Chennai on Monday to discuss Sahara’s demands, that included a change in IPL rules.
BCCI president Narayanaswamy Srinivasan told reporters after the meeting that his board had “responded positively” to Sahara’s demands, but insisted that rules cannot be broken. “It is not possible to create an exception because strict observance of the regulations is important to the integrity of the league,” Srinivasan said. Srinivasan said the BCCI had no objection to Sahara seeking a replacement player for cancer-stricken Pune skipper Yuvraj Singh, who has been ruled out of this year’s tournament starting on April 4.
“I am told that as per the rules, Sahara can have replacement for Yuvraj so that is not an
issue,” the BCCI president said. But the BCCI rejected other demands that included reduction in financial liability towards the IPL and the provision to field five foreign players — instead of the stipulated four — in their playing XI due to Yuvraj’s unavailability.
Sahara had renewed their sponsorship of the Indian team for a four-year term in 2010 for an estimated $115 million. The Lucknow-based Sahara group, which operates in various fields like finance, infrastructure, housing, media and consumer goods, also sponsors the Indian field hockey team.
