The proposed cricket series between Pakistan and India at the end of this year could be in jeopardy due to the ongoing dispute between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Pakistan Cricket Board’s broadcast partner, pay-television broadcaster Ten Sports.
The PCB last month awarded media rights to the country’s public-service broadcaster PTV and Ten. The rights were awarded for five years, from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
Ten, which is owned by Indian conglomerate the Essel Group, pitched successfully for rights to Pakistan’s Test, one-day international and Twenty20 series with an offer that was worth $60m (€53.9m) more than a rival bid, according to PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan.
The BCCI’s dispute with Ten and the Essel Group dates back to the latter’s launch of the short-lived Indian Cricket League in 2007 without its approval – a stand-off that has been thrown into sharp focus over recent weeks amid Essel’s stated intention to launch a rebel Twenty20 cricket competition. Khan has been in talks with BCCI officials this week in an attempt to find a resolution, but pointed out that the opportunity to object to potential rights holders before the tender process was passed up at the Indian end.
"We have said that if you (BCCI) have a problem with Ten Sports or the Essel Group, just let us know in writing that because of this problem, we would not like X company to bid for the series, because of their association with anti-BCCI activities," Shaharyar told Indian newspaper Mint. "We were never told in writing, even though we asked for it. You write to us and we will do what is necessary, because legally, our position is then established that the BCCI is not willing to accept a particular broadcaster."
Ten Sports chief executive Rajesh Sethi told the ESPNcricinfo website that the broadcaster would defend its position as rights-holder for the first full series between Pakistan and India since 2007.
“We are not going to let it go so easily,” he said. “We are the legal rights holder for the contract. There are financial guarantees that have been provided. If there is something on which we feel there is not an ethical and fair push to us we have every right to defend and we will strongly defend. No one has brought up this issue with us. We talk to them every day on various different things on which we are partners. So had this been a point in case it would have been discussed.
“Beyond the contractual arrangements we also share a huge moral partnership and a strong relationship with various cricket boards and stood with each other through thick and thin. And none of them has ever brought any such issue or discussion point with us where they have even thought of Ten Sports being a partner not being an option. So I will call all this extremely speculative. I will call this not having a strong base at least as of now.”
The Pakistan-India series will be hosted by Pakistan in the UAE following a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two cricket boards last year. India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral Test series since 2007 due to political reasons and, outside of a short limited-overs series in India in December 2012, their meetings have since been restricted to one-off encounters at International Cricket Council events and the Asia Cup.