BCCI to open technical bids today

The Indian board's marketing committee is meeting in Mumbai on Sunday to evaluate the technical bids for the contentious telecast rights of the game for the next four years.

But the outcome of the meeting and its decision cannot be disclosed by the committee since the Delhi high court is hearing a petition on the telecast rights issue filed by Zee, one of the four bidders. On October 4, the high court had directed the board that the decision on the technical bids - for coverage of domestic and international matches from October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2009 - would have to be conveyed to it on October 19, the next date of the hearing.

Apart from Zee, ESPN-Star, Sony and Prasar Bharati have responded to the board's Invitation To Tender and are in the race to secure the highly lucrative TV rights. The meeting is expected to be attended by the board's office bearers, its former presidents Jagmohan Dalmiya and Inderjit Singh Bindra, and special invitee Arun Jaitley.

The office bearers are Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the president of BCCI, SK Nair, the secretary, Chirayu Amin, Kamal Morarka, Rajiv Shukla, Ranga Reddy, CK Khanna, all of them vice-presidents, Gautam Dasgupta, the joint secretary and Jyoti Bajpai , the treasurer. Usha Nath Banerjee, the legal advisor of BCCI will also attend the meeting.