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The Indian board has extended by six months its current contract with Sahara India to sponsor the national team after its inability to find any alternative sponsors. N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, said the extension was granted on the basis of the present terms and conditions by the marketing committee, headed by the president Shashank Manohar.

“A fresh tender will be issued, before the expiry of the extension period, inviting bids for the team sponsorhip,” Srinivasan said.

Sahara’s contract was to have ended on December 31 this year, and had already been extended by three months.

Reports indicate that one stumbling block in finding a new sponsor was the base price the BCCI deemed fit for the deal. While the previous contract with Sahara was a four-year-deal signed in 2006 for Rs 400 crore, the BCCI is now asking companies to top that and fork out around $35 million (about Rs 162 crore) annually.

The board also awarded the title and ground rights for the two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka to WSG at Rs 3.15 crore per match.

The BCCI also said that any party that strikes a deal with it for the IPL, will have to submit a bank guarantee for the full value of the deal with immediate effect. This includes Multi Screen Media, for IPL telecast rights, and Entertainment Sports Direct (ESD), which won the IPL theatrical rights.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has compensated two Indian Premier League franchisees Team Rajasthan and Team Chennai with a sum of Rs 22 crore each, as compensation for the cancellation of the Champions League Twenty20, which got cancelled last year due to the 26/11 attack in Mumbai.
As a part of the compensation package, we have decided to compensate these teams because the Champions League got cancelled last year, IPL chairman Lalit Modi told TOI on Monday.
Incidentally, the other six teams Victoria and Western Australia (Australia), Titans and Dolphin (South Africa), Middlesex (England) and Sialkot Stallions (Pakistan ) were supposed to take part in the competition are yet to get any financial succour from their respective national boards.

Former captain Sourav Ganguly Sunday hailed the decision of the national selectors to bring Rahul Dravid back to the Indian side and said it only proved that form, and not age, is a factor in the game.

“Taking back Dravid is the right decision. I hope he will play well,” Sourav told mediapersons at the Eden Gardens.

“This proves that in the national team it does not matter whether you are a junior or a senior. What is important is form. Ashish Nehra has been brought back. Dravid is back. So, this goes on to show that age is not a factor,” Sourav said.

Sourav had retired from the game about nine months back amidst speculation that the Board of Control for cricket in India (BCCI) had forced him to hang up his gloves.

In the run-up to Ganguly’s retirement, there was a buzz in cricketing circles about the BCCI being in favour of the old guard – Ganguly, Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Anil Kumble – making way for the juniors.

But though Ganguly and Kumble have quit, Laxman, Dravid and Tendulkar are still going strong.

However, the lefthander, six months senior to Dravid in age, refused to take a question on whether he could also have served the team well had he not retired.

“Look, I don’t want to delve into this thing. I don’t want to think of the past. I have retired nine months back,” he said.

After two years, Rahul Dravid is back in Indias Oneday team. The selectors wanted him back for the Champions Trophy in South Africa, so did the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandarins . Even if there was a hint of opposition from the team management , by 1 pm on Sunday it was evident that Dravid would once again take guard for India in ODIs.
If BCCIs backing was one of the reasons, the non-availability of Virender Sehwag for the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy also paved the way for the exskippers comeback. Even if there was a whiff of a chance of Sehwag getting fit for the Champions Trophy, the selectors made it clear that they would go for the same squad for both the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy.
There was a grey area about Sehwags fitness for the Champions Trophy and no one was inclined to take a chance, a well-placed source pointed out, adding that the basic idea was to ensure that the team didnt go to South Africa underprepared.
It was middle-order solidity the selectors were looking for and Dravid fitted the bill perfectly. Even though Rohit Sharmas name came up for some serious consideration (courtesy Dhoni), Srikkanth & Co felt that the Mumbai batsman was woefully out of form.
Our batting looked suspect during the T20 World Cup and the West Indies series. So we thought Dravid was the right man to add some spunk to the lineup, especially on the fast and bouncy tracks of South Africa, the source said, adding there were India A trips coming up to enable Rohit to rediscover form.
But wasnt Dravids recall a retrogade step Its a matter of horses-forcourses when it comes to a tournament like the Champions Trophy and we have done precisely that, a selector said, echoing chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanths words that this is the best team we could have sent .
But one selection that raised a few eyebrows was that of Amit Mishra ahead of Pragyan Ojha. Even though he had made his ODI debut way back in 2003, the leggie is considered more of a Test bowler. However, the selection committee insisted that Mishra was brilliant in the Emerging Players tournament in Australia and that he should get his chance in ODIs. Not that they are too displeased with Ojha, but the five wise men felt that the wrist-spinners experience would come in handy.
With Zaheer (Khan) and (Virender ) Sehwag not there, were short of two genuine matchwinners. Basically, we were looking at more impact players , the selector added. Mishra, along with Harbhajan Singh, will be the two spinners while RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar fill the pacers slot.
Its understood that Munaf Patels name was also discussed, but Praveen got the nod because of his fielder.
Abhishek Nayar is the only allrounder in the squad while wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik will be considered as the third opener in case of a crisis. He did the job successfully in the West Indies and is a multi-utility cricketer, a selector added.

SQUAD:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wicketkepper ), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir , Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh (vice-capt ), Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Abhishek Nayar.

There is good and bad news for those rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) players who have decided to accept the BCCIs offer of amnesty. For starters, they will be allowed to play in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) from the 2010 season onwards if franchisees want them. But there is a rider: Players with no international experience have been bracketed into a pay scale which guarantees a minimum of Rs 8 lakh and a maximum of Rs 20 lakh ($18,000 to $45,000) only.
This decision was ratified by the BCCIs working committee on Thursday , after IPL commissioner Lalit Modi had announced earlier that ICL players were likely to be considered.
BCCI officials decided to settle on the idea of salary caps to send out a strong message that defections to rebel organisations would not be tolerated . However, an official suggested that in time, the caps could be removed for talented players. Of course, there are no salary caps for those international stars who had plied their trade in the ICL. Big names like Shane Bond, Abdur Razzaq, Daryl Tuffey and Lou Vincent can either sign a contract individually with IPL teams or take part in an auction.

The contentious whereabouts clause of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), which has deterred the Indian players from accepting the WADA code will be one of the high points of discussion at the Board of Control for Cricket in Indias working committee meeting, to be held at its headquarters Cricket Centre here on Thursday.
Eleven Indian cricketers, including two women, have refused to agree to the clause which requires them to furnish their whereabout (one hour each day) for the next three months citing security fears. The BCCI has backed the players saying the players security is important. Apart from this, there are many other crucial decisions to be taken and the issues on the agenda will include the ratification of the induction of ex-Indian Cricket League (ICL) players of India into IPL.
The meeting will also decide on the appointment of a new batting coach for the National Cricket Academy and what brand of balls to be used during matches in India. The deteriorating quality of SG balls has triggered a debate whether India should opt for the Australian Kookaburra balls or not. The status of the domestic Deodhar Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 meet will also be discussed. The working committee will also clear the accounts forwarded by the finance committee which met on Wednesday. 

Four new venues have been introduced for the third edition of the IPL, which will run from March 12 to April 25 next year. The 60-game tournament will feature a third-place playoff between the losing semi-finalists as a qualifier for the Champions League and could also see the induction of ICL players. The IPL governing council, which met in Mumbai on Tuesday, has also decided to include two new teams from the fourth edition in 2011.

Nagpur, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Dharamsala are the new venues, hosting some games of the Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, respectively. Hyderabad will stage the opening fixture between defending champions Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders, while both semi-finals will be held in Bangalore. The venue of the final hasn’t been fixed but the season will end five days before the World Twenty20 opens in West Indies.

Today’s decisions brought good news for the former ICL players, though their participation is subject to the BCCI’s formal approval. They will now join the gravy train, though their payout could be considerably less than many of their peers. They will be valued in two categories; Indian domestic players will be paid Rs 8-20 lakh ($18,000-45,000) while international players, both Indian and foreign, will be made available through auction.

Key dates December 15, 2009: Transfer window for IPL 3 opens January 5, 2010: Transfer window for IPL 3 closes March 12, 2010: IPL 3’s opening fixture between Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad April 25, 2010: IPL 3 final to be played at a yet-to-be-decided venue January 2010: Auctions for the two new franchises to be included in the fourth season of the IPL Summer 2010: Player auctions for IPL 4

The IPL will also make use of the services of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) for the third season. The BCCI had agreed to draft in ACSU for the upcoming Champions League in October as well, at the ICC board’s annual conference in London last month.

Another development for the new season was the reduction in the ’strategic timeout’ from seven-and-a-half minutes to five. The timeout – which will be mandatory for both sides – will be split into two breaks of equal length with the bowling team opting for it between overs 6-10, and the batting team allowed to choose between overs 11-16.

At his press conference following the meeting, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi also outlined plans for Season 4 onwards. Two franchises will be added to the league, through an auction to be held next January, and the tournament will expand from 60 games to 94. The player auction for the fourth season, with a new salary cap, will be held in the summer of 2010 to allow squads to integrate. The ‘icon player’ concept will be done away with but there will be no change in the number of international players – ten in the squad and four on the field.

The second season was held in South Africa in April-May this year after the Indian government declined to provide security because the tournament overlapped with general elections in the country.

The Cricket Boards all-powerful Working Committee, which meets here on August 13, would decide whether former Indian Cricket League players can take part in the Indian Premier League to be held in March-April next year. The Working Committee will decide that, cricket board sources said when asked whether the IPLs Governing Council would take a decision on the matter. The players, who took advantage of the BCCIs one-time amnesty scheme and severed ties with the rebel league, have already been seen in action in other official domestic cricket after the ban on them was lifted by the Board. 

The ICC has taken appropriate steps to try and resolve the stand-off between BCCI and the WADA regarding the signing of the anti-doping contract which consists of the contentious ‘whereabouts’ clause. There has been a five-member committee which has been formed to look into the matter and suggest the best way forward.

This committee will be called the International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP) working group and will consist of Tim Kerr, chairman of ICC Anti-Doping panel, Haroon Lorgat, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, ICC principal advisor IS Bindra and former India captain Anil Kumble. Kumble is a part of the WADA Athlete Committee, where as Tim Kerr will preside over the proceedings.

The BCCI, at the behest of the Indian players had raised objections to the controversial ‘whereabouts’ clause which required the Indian cricketers – and the others as well – to reveal their location for one hour for each of the days in the next three months. This is a norm for all the other sports and ensures that the testing can be done with an element of surprise. However, the Indian cricketers have refused to sign the clause because they consider it to be a violation of their privacy and a security hazard.

The BCCI has already said that there are at least two Indian cricketers, who cannot reveal their whereabouts to a third party for security reasons, and the problem is across the board.

The IRTP will now meet up and an amicable solution will be endeavoured to be found

The ICC has formed a committee to resolve the concerns of the Indian board regarding the controversial ‘whereabouts’ clause of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) code.

The International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP) working group will be chaired by Tim Kerr, chairman of ICC Anti-Doping panel, and also includes ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, ICC principal advisor IS Bindra and former India captain Anil Kumble, who sits on WADA’s Athlete Committee.

Eleven Indian players are in the ICC’s drug testing pool, and they have raised concerns about the clause, which requires them to inform the ICC at the beginning of every quarter (three-month period) of the year, a location and time that they will be available for an hour each day in that quarter for testing. The BCCI and the players were worried about security risks involved in providing whereabouts information in advance and have also said that the clause is a violation of privacy statutes.

No dates have yet been set for a meeting of the IRTP panel, which was formed after the BCCI announced on Sunday that it would not require its players to file the ‘whereabouts’ information. WADA has been invited to send a representative to advice the panel.

Lorgat reiterated that the ICC and the Indian board were keen to resolve the impasse at the earliest. “I am pleased we have constituted this group as I believe it will help to resolve the practical concerns of India players,” Lorgat said. “All of us – the ICC and its members including India – are committed to a zero-tolerance approach in the area of anti-doping.”

The BCCI and the Indian board faced plenty of flak for their decision to not abide by the WADA code, including the country’s sports minister. Cricketers from all other countries and India’s top athletes have accepted the anti-doping regulations.

One of the BCCI’s suggestions for solving the problem was to introduce a new cricket-specific code, and asking the ICC to walk out of the WADA umbrella.