The IPL tender process has been put off by the BCCI owing to the orders imposed by the Lodha Committee and the Supreme Court. The tendering was scheduled for Tuesday, but with all the new rules that have now been imposed, the Indian cricket board, already on the backfoot, have been left with little choice but to hand over the tender process duties to the Lodha panel.
BCCI had gone out of their way to get out of a first-option deal with Sony over the renewal of their current rights for the IPL, instead choosing to go for an open and transparent tender in hope of getting on the good books of the SC.
However, with India's apex court asking the BCCI to pretty much hold off on going ahead with anything major for now until they toe the Lodha Committee line, the Indian board decided to hold off on the IPL tender process.
The BCCI said in a long release on their official website that they had sent emails to the Lodha Committee asking them for clarification on the IPL tender issue and having finally received a reply on Monday, they decided to take this decision.
"Today the BCCI has received a response from the Committee asking for certain further undertakings from the BCCI and sought further clarifications," the Indian board said in a statement on Monday night. "These have accordingly been furnished to the Committee. The BCCI has received a response from the Committee a short while ago stating that it is in receipt of the communications from the BCCI and that it would issue directions after meeting amongst themselves.
"The BCCI, apart from the above communication, has so far at the time of going to press, not received any further directions from the Committee, which is now the custodian of the entire process and has been tasked with the duty to ensure that the tender process is undertaken in a professional and transparent manner with least inconvenience to all stakeholders.
"Once the BCCI receives a response from the Committee it shall bring the same to the notice of all stakeholders as the BCCI is currently not in a position to take any decision in the matter other than what the Committee recommends. In the absence of permission from the Committee to go ahead with the process scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday), the BCCI is unable to do so."
Several big names had taken up the tender for the IPL media rights that were going to be sold for the 2018 and onwards. Apart from the obvious ones like Star India and Sony Pictures Networks, who will see their IPL rights end after the 2017 season, the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Amazon had also taken up the option in view to increasing their digital offerings.
In total, 18 companies had purchased the tender and now all of them have been left in lingo, wondering what is next as the BCCI look to find a way through this increasingly sticky wicket.
"The BCCI requests all bidders to appreciate that the events as have occurred were unforeseen and something over which the BCCI has no control," the statement added. "The potential bidders would appreciate that in the past the BCCI has responded to all queries to potential bidders in a prompt fashion and has conducted the entire process in a fair, transparent and professional manner.
"BCCI offers its sincere apology to all potential bidders and stakeholders who have put in efforts to put together bids by expending considerable time and resources, and have travelled from all across the country and the world to take part in this event."
