BCCI’s troubles with Sahara
Like any other year, this one too had its highs and lows, moments that captured the imagination for contrasting reasons. Here's a lowdown on what happened in the world of cricket in 2012.
Sahara started by ending ties, pulling out as the sponsor of the Indian cricket team, and also withdrawing its Pune Warriors franchise from the Indian Premier League. The company claimed that it had been given a raw deal by the BCCI in the IPL, which failed to refund the extra bid money to the company, after 74 matches were played instead of 94 in the T20 league.
Another bone of contention, was their marquee player Yuvraj Singh, who had to skip IPL-4 because of lung tumour. Sahara had made a request for his price to be added to their auction purse, only to be told that it wasn’t allowed under prevailing rules.
However, the two parties reached a compromise later on, and Sahara returned as a team sponsor, while also participating in IPL-4. It was reported that Sahara’s claim for a reduction in franchise fee would be initiated through an arbitrator. The BCCI also agreed to accept Pune’s views regarding the acquisition of overseas players.
