Indian board tenders met with lukewarm response

In a surprising development, considering the intense competetion that has characterised previous bids involving the Indian board (BCCI), only one company has bid for three tenders issued on August 2.

The last date for submission of tenders - for formal wear for the Indian team (2006-2010), for producing and executing ratings and award ceremony (2006-2011); and for ground rights for the tri-series in Singapore and Malaysia - was August 11 but only one company, Percept, met the deadline. The bids will be opened on Monday at Chennai during the BCCI's marketing sub-committee meeting in Chennai.

However, Lalit Modi, the chairman of BCCI's marketing sub-committee, wasn't alarmed. "The base price [for all three tenders] was around US$1million and whoever could afford have submitted,'' he was quoted as saying in Times of India.

Canali, the Italian-based company, had shown interest in the formal wear category but backed out once the bidding process began. "Canali's proposal was an exchange offer and we had almost finalised things with them," Modi continued. "But when others too came forward and offered to do the same we decided to go in for a bidding process."

And what of the ground rights of the Singapore-Malaysia tri-series? "Maybe they [bidders] felt the tournament comes in between Sri Lanka [Tri-series] and Champions Trophy," Modi reasoned for the lukewarm response. "Anyone who fulfils the minimum criteria of $1m will get it. Those who can't won't put it."