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BCCI fined $8 million by anti-trust panel over a multi-billion dollar broadcasting deal for IPL

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New Delhi - India's competition watchdog on Thursday fined the country's powerful cricket governing body $8 million over a multi-billion dollar broadcasting deal for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Competition Commission ruled that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world's wealthiest national cricket body, abused its position by agreeing to broadcasters' demands that it would not allow a rival to the IPL.

The commission ordered the BCCI to pay 520 million rupees ($8 million) within 60 days.

Sony Pictures Networks has held the rights since the IPL started in 2008.

But in a major coup, Rupert Murdoch's Star India channel in September bought the rights for 2018-22 for $2.55 billion - a 150 percent increase on the previous deal - confirming the league as one of the world's hottest sports properties.

The anti-trust commission made an initial ruling in 2013 that the BCCI's deal with Sony was illegal because of a clause which prevented the BCCI from allowing any other 20-over league to compete with the IPL.

The cricket body won a court order forcing a review of the case.

But the commission's new ruling came to the same conclusion and ordered the same fine.

The BCCI had pleaded that bidders for the television deal had insisted on the no-competition clause.

"BCCI has not provided any justification as to how this self-imposed restriction of not organising, sanctioning, approving or supporting another T20 cricket event that will be competing with IPL, is connected to the interest of cricket," the competition commission said however.

The commission said that "in the absence of any plausible explanation" it had found that the clause was intended to "enhance the commercial interest of the bidders of broadcasting rights" and the revenues received by BCCI.

In addition to the fine, the commission said the BCCI must not place any "blanket restriction" on the organisation of professional leagues to rival the IPL.

The BCCI made no immediate comment on the fine. But the ruling is a new blow to the body that has been managed by a panel appointed by the Supreme Court in 2016 to reform it.

The BCCI has in recent years been riven by infighting and allegations of shady dealings.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/bcci-fined-8-million-by-anti-trust-panel-20171129
 
The anti-trust commission made an initial ruling in 2013 that the BCCI's deal with Sony was illegal because of a clause which prevented the BCCI from allowing any other 20-over league to compete with the IPL.

This is very vague, curious to know more about it...
 
Good that the BCCI are fined for this.They banned & ruined the careers of some young players who joined ICL just because it was competing with IPL.
This fine is probably because of their restriction of not allowing any other competing T20 leagues to crop up in India.
 
Talk about monopolising the format, competition is healthy but BCCI are just bullies.
 
ICL wasn't supposed to be illegal afterall.

So much for BCCI bullying all cricket boards to outright "ban" their players for participating in a private t20 league being held in Indian territory
 
This ruling is more harmful to other cricketing countries. BCCI will be hit financially but ultimately any aspiring cricketer wanting to play for India will associate himself with BCCI then its private competitor. But this competitor can easily go on poaching for international cricketers from other cricketing countries to prop up their league against ipl. So, before you go and rejoice over this ruling, just think over it once.
 
Mumbai, Nov 29: Two cricket fans -Atul Kumar, a Civil Engineer and an activist and Shantanu Guha Ray, a journalist-have filed a joint Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Supreme Court of India (Diary No. 35025/2017) against the corruption in the game and have demanded the ban on IPL and other league matches in the country.

In a 48-page appeal (a copy of which is in our possession) , they have narrated several instances where the players are found to be involved in fixing the matches.

"That the persons affected by such acts of the State are numerous and are not in a position to approach the Hon'ble Court, hence this petition is filed", Atul Kumar, who has also written several books on corruption, speaking exclusively, said.

"We have also demanded to disclose the identity of players included in the list of 13 submitted by Mudgal to the Court".

The petitioners have also mentioned the name of Rashid Latif, the former Pak wicket-keeper and India's Vinod Kambli who came forward to explore the scandal but the same was "conveniently ignored".

Atul Kumar has tried his best to bring the issue to the notice of the President and Prime Minister of India and has also written several letters to Police Commissioners and Lodha Committee. However, the massive fraud continues and this made him to file a PIL before the SC of India.

He also made his efforts to bring it to the notice of the authorities how the matches between India and Pakistan are fixed but has not availed any fruitful results.

http://www.observerbd.com/details.php?id=108651
 
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