If Lalit Modi was the face of the Indian Premier League, the International Management Group is considered the force behind it.
It is said that Modi and a certain Andrew Wildblood of the IMG conceived the now-successful IPL at a hallowed sports ground near Wimbledon in London. On Saturday, Modi was in London but it is unlikely that he met Wildblood or any other IMG official.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has terminated its contract with the IMG. The decision was taken at the recent working committee meeting. The apparent reason was the “high price charged by IMG” for its role in the organisation of the IPL.
No BCCI official was willing to comment on the decision but Board sources say secretary N Srinivasan initiated the move.
“I will have to protect the interest of the BCCI,” the Board secretary said, refusing to discuss the issue. Pressed a little more, he said: “There is a confidentiality clause in our deal with the IMG so I cannot talk about it in public.”
Modi also refused to comment on the issue. He is, however, believed to have opposed the move at the August 13 working committee meeting.
There are indications that the matter may end up in the court. “There was no concrete contract between us. There was only a memorandum of understanding (MoU),” said a BCCI official. Another official, however, said the MoU is strong enough for the IMG get a legal reprieve.
It was learnt that the IMG was initially charging Rs 43 crore per year and brought down its fees to Rs 33 crore after negotiations. But a section of the BCCI thought the price was too high.
Unconfirmed sources say the real reason for the cancellation of the deal could be something else. IMG was entitled for 10 per cent of the IPL income from the franchisees. To be more precise, the IMG was entitled to about $7.4 million annually of the $74 million the BCCI gets from the sale of its franchisees.
Without IMG taken out, the IPL is left with only ‘two employees’ to run the show but a top official said they don’t need an outsourcing agency to organise the tournament.
“We have organised two World Cups. Organising the IPL will not be a big deal,” the official said.
The governing Council of the IPL will meet in Mumbai on September 2. A lot of things might be clear before or by then.
