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Sahara withdraws sponsorship of BCCI and IPL

February 4, 2012

Cricket +

	Pune Warriors were absent from the IPL auction in Bangalore© Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links News : The Sahara release News : Sahara to continue as Indian team sponsor News : Pune and Kochi unveiled as new IPL franchises

Sahara India Parivar have announced they are withdrawing their sponsorship of the Indian team and the IPL franchise, Pune Warriors. The news comes on the day of the IPL 2012 auctions, when 144 players were going under the hammer in Bangalore. Pune Warriors did not take part in the auction.

In its formal statement, Sahara said they would, "continue paying the sponsorship money" to the BCCI for a period of "2-4 months" it said would take the BCCI to find a new sponsor. The group had won the bid to continue as the Indian team sponsor in May 2010.

In the first formal statement from the BCCI, IPL governing council chairman Rajeev Shukla said that the BCCI had yet to receive anything in writing from Sahara about the withdrawal of their sponsorship.

A Sahara official said its chairman would address a press conference in Mumbai at 4pm on Saturday.

The group, which has sponsored the Indian team for 11 years, had cited several reasons for its sudden pull-out, its most recent differences with the BCCI concerning its involvement in the IPL.

The latest dispute arises around a request by Sahara to be allowed to add Yuvraj Singh's price into its auction purse for the February 4 auction after it was learnt that Yuvraj could not take part in the IPL as he is undergoing medical treatment for a tumour in his lung. When the request was refused, Sahara said it was "yet again" a case of the BCCI denying them "natural justice."

The differences between Sahara and the IPL began in 2008 when Sahara's bid for one of the first eight IPL franchises was "thwarted" following disqualification on what it calls, "a small technicality on the whims and fancies of BCCI." Last year, the group had successfully bid $370m for the Pune franchise when the IPL hadopened up the league to two new teams.

Sahara had asked for a refund of what it called its "extra bid money" stating that its bid price had been calculated on the basis of 94 matches to be played in the IPL's fourth season. It said it had been denied, "on the basis of strict rules." Other requests, like opening up the auction to all players once again in order to to achieve a "level playing field" or allowing one extra foreign player for the two new teams were also turned down.

"We are withdrawing from all cricket under BCCI," the group stated. "However, we don't want to give any problem to the BCCI and we also feel that the players should not suffer. BCCI will definitely take 2-4 months to get a new sponsor and we will continue paying the sponsorship money till then. All other IPL team players, coaches and other such associates will definitely get their due this year, in case they do not get a chance to play."

This comes a day after Kochi Tuskers Kerala, the other team which made its IPL debut with the Pune Warriors last year, announced it would take the BCCI to court for terminating its contract. The 2012 IPL was reduced to nine teams as a result.

Over the past six months, the BCCI has terminated the Kochi franchise as well as its broadcast deal with Nimbus Communications, who were the rights holders for all cricket played in India.