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India, Pakistan may play cricket at neutral venue

July 7, 2012

INDPK

New Delhi, July 7: India and Pakistan will work on a money-sharing agreement to facilitate resumption of cricketing ties at a neutral venue, government sources confirmed to TOI. The development seems to be one of the biggest takeaways from the foreign secretary-level talks this week, which otherwise failed to produce any substantive breakthrough for the cricket-crazy neighbours.

It was Pakistan foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, who proposed before his counterpart Ranjan Mathai that the two countries play at a neutral venue. Jilani had said in the press interaction on Thursday that he had made some suggestions for resumption of cricketing ties, but did not elaborate.

Effectively paving the way for resumption, the government, sources said, would not come in the way of the cricket boards of the two countries coming to such an arrangement. While Jilani acknowledged that it may not be possible for India to tour under the current circumstances (Pakistan is forced to play at neutral venues as other teams have refused to tour the country), he said Pakistan would not benefit by touring India as all the money generated for such a high-profile series would go to the host nation or, more precisely, to the Indian cricket board.

Jilani said playing at a neutral venue was the most logical option, taking into account both countries' interests. This was when Mathai interjected, saying the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would have to come into the picture as the Indian government cannot be involved in a money-sharing agreement.

The two cricket boards have flirted with the idea earlier, but Jilani took it to another level by taking it up strongly with Mathai. Government sources said they were looking favourably at Pakistan's proposal, but added that both BCCI and PCB would have to take the lead in deciding revenue sharing on telecast and other rights.

"The Pakistani side was categorical that it is not financially viable for them to send only their cricket team to India. Security issues will be looked at, but the ball for now is in the court of BCCI and PCB and we are not stopping them," said a source. He added, though, that the two countries had not agreed to any timeframe for resuming cricketing ties.

While the joint statement issued on Thursday made no mention of cricket, it did say that the two sides were looking to increase contact in sports. Under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has twice invited Pakistani leaders to watch cricket matches in India - the last one at 2011 World Cup semifinal in Mohali - the government has been toying with the idea of resuming cricket ties for some time.

India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2007. The 26\11 attacks in 2008 made any resumption all the more untenable.



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Agencies
August 6,2020

New Delhi, Aug 6: The BCCI on Thursday suspended the IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the event's upcoming edition amid heightened tensions in Sino-India diplomatic ties.

The BCCI sent out a one-line statement, without giving details, saying that Vivo would not be associated with the IPL this year. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Vivo released its own statement saying that the two entities "have mutually decided to pause their partnership for the 2020 season".

Vivo won the IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 2,190 crore, approximately Rs 440 crore per annum.

The two parties are now working out a plan in which Vivo might come back for a fresh three-year period starting 2021 on revised terms.

However, a top BCCI official offered a different view. "Here we are talking about diplomatic tensions and you expect that after November, when IPL ends and before the next IPL starts in April 2021, there would be no anti-China sentiment? Are we serious?" a veteran BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.

The anti-China sentiment in the country peaked after the violent face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. India lost 20 soldiers in the clash, while China also acknowledged unspecified casualties.

The stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) caused outrage across India with several calls for boycotts of Chinese companies and products.

The BCCI is now likely to float a tender for new IPL title sponsors as mandated by its constitution. The glitzy T20 league starts on Sept. 19 in the UAE, forced out of India due to the rising COVID-19 cases.

The new development is in stark contrast to what came out of Sunday's IPL's Governing Council meeting, where it was decided that Vivo, along with all the other sponsors, will remain on board.

This was after the BCCI had announced in June that all sponsorship deals pertaining to IPL will be reviewed in the aftermath of the clash in the Galwan Valley.

However, after Sunday's meeting, there was a huge backlash on social media about the BCCI holding on to Vivo.

Both parties then began thrashing out an amicable separation plan, at least for this season.

However, the end of this deal could spell losses for the franchises as they get a substantial share from the sponsorship pool. Half of the annual Vivo sponsorship money is distributed equally among eight franchises, which comes to Rs 27.5 crore.

"As of now, it will be very difficult for the BCCI to match the sponsorship amount at such short notice. Therefore, both BCCI and the franchises should be prepared to lose out on some money -- BCCI more but each franchise from Vivo's exit will potentially lose 15 crore," the official said.

"This year will be difficult for everyone but the show must go on," the official said.

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News Network
June 13,2020

Mumbai, Jun 13: Vasant Raiji, who was India's oldest first-class cricketer at 100, died in Mumbai in the wee hours of Saturday.

Raiji was 100 years old and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

"He (Raiji) passed away at 2.20 am in his sleep at his residence in Walkeshwar in South Mumbai due to old-age," his son-in-law Sudarshan Nanavati told PTI.

Raiji, a right-handed batsman, played nine first-class matches in the 1940s, scoring 277 runs with 68 being his highest score.

He made his debut for a Cricket Club of India team that played Central Provinces and Berar in Nagpur in 1939.

His Mumbai debut happened in 1941 when the team played Western India under the leadership of Vijay Merchant.

Raiji, also a cricket historian and chartered accountant, was 13 when India played its first Test match at the Bombay Gymkhana in South Mumbai.

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and former Australian skipper Steve Waugh had paid a courtesy visit to Raiji at his residence in January when he had turned 100.

It has been learnt that the cremation will take place at the Chandanwadi crematorium in South Mumbai on Saturday afternoon.

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News Network
January 13,2020

Mumbai, Jan 13: India captain Virat Kohli indicated at dropping himself down the batting order to accommodate both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in the playing XI against Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series starting Tuesday.

With vice-captain Rohit Sharma an automatic pick, the team management is left with tough choice of selecting either Dhawan or Rahul in the XI. But the skipper sees no reason why both can't play together.

"Look, a guy in form is always good for the team. ...You obviously want to have the best players available and then chose from what the combination should be for the team. There might be a possibility that all three (Rohit, Shikhar and Rahul) might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field," Kohli said on the eve of the match.

Asked if he would he be happy to bat lower down the order, Virat said,"Yeah, big possibility. I would be very happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat," said the skipper.

For Kohli, it is more important as to what kind of leadership legacy he leaves behind rather than chase personal glory.

"Being the captain of the team, it is my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready. A lot of the other people might not look at it that way, but your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now, but also to prepare a team that you leave behind when you eventually pass it onto someone else," he added.

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