IPL asks Manohar to look at IMG issue

The Indian board has taken the first step towards resolving the IMG dispute and authorised Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, to look into the issue and report back to the board during its annual general meeting later this month. This was revealed by Rajiv Shukla, a vice-president of the BCCI, after a meeting of the IPL governing council, which formalised the move on Wednesday.

"BCCI chief Shashank Manohar has been authorised to deal with the IMG issue and report to the board at its AGM on September 24," Shukla said.

A BCCI official told Cricinfo that Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president who still has a strong hold on Indian cricket affairs, met Manohar and Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, on Tuesday night and discussed a course of action that would possibly involve fresh negotiations with the sports management firm and a revised contract.

IMG worked for the IPL this year on an annual fee of around Rs33 crore (around US$6.7m). "Ideally, the board is hoping that they can renegotiate this down around Rs 25-27 crore (around US$5.5m)," the official said. "The idea is to work out a solution that will keep IMG onboard and at the same time, is not seen as undermining the BCCI secretary's authority in any manner."

N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, had informed IMG last Saturday that the board would no longer use their services for conducting the IPL, following a disagreement over payments for the league's second season in South Africa. Srinivasan claimed that the fee was disproportionate to the services rendered. IMG played a key role in setting up the inaugural IPL in 2008, for which the BCCI claimed to have made a payment of Rs42.92 crore (US$ 9.54 million approx), and it also managed the second IPL that was shifted to South Africa.

The IPL franchises, who were informed about the decision only on Saturday morning through a separate email sent by league officials, were understandably concerned by the move. Seven out of the eight IPL franchises - except Chennai, which is owned by Srinivasan - have over the last three days written strongly-worded letters to the BCCI and Sharad Pawar questioning the IMG ouster, which they claimed would devalue and dilute the league.

Pawar had also written to Manohar in his capacity as president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, questioning the Indian board's decision to terminate IMG's services for the IPL and warned that the unilateral move would put the board and its stakeholders' investments in jeopardy.

Similar concerns have also been echoed by Sony, the IPL's broadcasters, which said in a separate letter that the timing of the decision was awkward for them and would have far-reaching implications on the next season.