PCB launches action over IMG-Reliance

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has filed a claim for damages against the IMG-Reliance agency after the Indian company pulled out of a production agreement for the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 competition earlier in the year.

IMG-Reliance agreed a production deal with the PCB back in January but opted to withdraw from the deal the following month in the wake of a terrorist attack in the Indian region of Kashmir. The PCB later named the Blitz and Trans Group consortium as the live production partner of the 2020 PSL.

It has now emerged that the PCB will take action against IMG-Reliance, with the claim for damages to be heard at the London Court of International Arbitration. A legal notice was sent by the PCB last month requesting compensation from IMG-Reliance following the withdrawal.

According to the ESPNcricinfo website, the PCB did not receive a reply so opted to take the claim to court. A PCB meeting will be held on Friday, with the board to argue the case that IMG-Reliance’s withdrawal could have resulted in the remaining PSL matches not being televised, which would have “severely damaged” the league’s standing and reputation.

IMG-Reliance withdrew from the agreement in the wake of a terrorist attack that killed at least 40 paramilitary troopers in Jammu and Kashmir, further inflaming tensions between India and Pakistan.