Pay-television broadcaster Star India has agreed a five-season deal for rights to new Twenty20 cricket competition the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
Star’s deal will include rights to the TNPL’s inaugural season, which is scheduled to run from the end of August to the second week of September, along with the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 campaigns. The TelevisionPost website said Star was the only bidder for the rights and will pay Rs71m (€949,000/$1.06m) for the contract.
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has auctioned off the ownership rights for eight franchises, generating Rs332.4m in the process. A total of 27 matches are scheduled to be played during the inaugural season at stadia in Chennai, the India Cements Ground in Tirunelveli and Natham (Dindugal).
The launch of the TNPL comes with Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings having served the first year of a two-year ban from the competition for corruption offences.