The Ambani brothers’ feud will not spill on to the cricket pitch. It is learnt that Anil Ambani will not be allowed to buy a team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Contrary to recent reports, the governing council of the cash-rich league has decided not to allow the business tycoon to bid for a team.
The IPL, comprising eight franchises, will be a 10-team affair from next year; the two new teams will be known by the first week of March.
The IPL is said to have made the decision based on last year’s pullout by Big TV, an Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) company, from the IPL’s DTH deal objecting to the tournament’s official broadcaster Sony Television’s commercial pact with Airtel, an ADAG competitor. “He did not honour the commitment,” said a high-ranked IPL official. “He will not be allowed to bid for a team.”
“Whether they allow us or not is [relevant] only when we make a bid,” said an official associated with ADAG. “At this stage, we’re not in a position to comment about the bid, but reports of us being in the race are not correct.”
He also said that the company’s existing sponsorship with the International Cricket Council (ICC) will continue till 2016. “Our brand visibility will be there in bigger tournaments like four World T20 tournaments, four Champions Trophies and two World Cups over the next six-and-a-half years,” he said.
In 2008, ADAG had signed an eight-year deal for a reported sum of $100 million for the ICC tournaments.
IPL sources say the process for the purchase of new teams could begin any day. The IPL has fixed $250 million as the base price for the bids. It will be a closed bid and the two highest bidders will get to own the teams.
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