BCCI, Sahara likely to soften stance at meeting

Top officials of the BCCI and Sahara India will meet in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon over the dispute regarding the IPL Pune franchise, with all indications pointing to an amicable resolution. Both parties have, given the high stakes involved, softened their stance in the week since Sahara went public about its grievances with the Indian board and announced its pullout from the sponsorship of the Indian team and the ownership of the Pune Warriors franchise.

The BCCI is likely to be represented by its president N Srinivasan and and its treasurer Ajay Shirke. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and IPL chief executive Sundar Raman will also be present. Sahara chairman Subrata Roy will lead his side, with his son Sushanto expected to sit alongside him.

The meeting follows a week of top-level dialogue between officials from both sides seeking to work out possible openings for a solution. There are several issues to be sorted out, including the reduction in the number of IPL matches last season from 94 to 74; Roy said Sahara had paid $370 million for the franchise based on a 94-match season. Sahara's immediate point of dispute, though, concerns the IPL's refusal to allow it any concession in replacing Yuvraj Singh, who is being treated for cancer and is expected to miss the entire season. Sahara had wanted his $1.8 million salary added to its $1.6 million auction purse but that request was turned down.

Sahara insiders say Roy will ask the IPL to tweak its rules and allow the Warriors to field five foreigners, instead of the stipulated four - as was done for Mumbai Indians in the 2011 Champions League. However, it is unlikely to be acceptable to the BCCI, with rival franchises already making noises that it would be unfair to them. "Mumbai's case was extraordinary and everyone respected that, but if you now allow Sahara the same then in future there is a danger of this becoming a norm," said an official of one of the original eight franchises.

Instead, ESPNcricinfo understands, the IPL will allow the Warriors to buy players left unsold at the supplementary auction held in Bangalore on February 4. The IPL rules say franchises can pick unsold players only as a replacement for an injured player or in a medical emergency, but the rule could be relaxed to allow the Warrirors to utilise the $1.6 million purse.

It's unclear whether that will be acceptable to Sahara but crucially the company, which has a relatively long and close connection with Indian sport, has not closed all doors to cricket. In fact, as reported, the Warriors coaching staff have been asked to compile a list of players it could get on board during the IPL's third trading window, which ends on March 4.

The onus, though, seems to be on the BCCI, which has higher stakes in this issue. Already without a TV broadcast deal and unable to sell its internet rights, it cannot afford the embarrassment of being without a sponsor for the Indian team. The IPL, too, is in some flux; it has already lost one team - the Kochi franchise - and losing another in a relatively depressed financial market will not help advertisers and sponsors. That is believed to have forced board officials to admit they would have to soften their stand on some of the contentious issues. One top board official conceded its top brass needed to take the blame for the current impasse. "Things could have been handled and sorted out in good time as opposed to our approach, which is to allow it to build up into a fight.

"There is no provision in the IPL rules for someone who is suffering from cancer. The BCCI top brass was aware about Yuvraj's sickness for the last few months. Sahara were asking for a solution but if you keep neglecting a potential area of conflict, then it is bound to build up. So Sahara thought obviously enough is enough."