BCCI, Sahara truce on the cards?

After weeks of stand-off between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and chief sponsor Sahara, a truce seems to be on the cards after a series of meetings and negotiations between the two parties.

Reports suggest the BCCI are looking to reconsider their earlier stand. This means that Sahara could get a 27 percent relief on the Rs. 1700 crores they had paid for the franchise of Pune Warriors as per their request.

Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla had said on Wednesday that talks are going on between the BCCI and Sahara India in a cordial manner and hoped a positive outcome by this week.

Shukla said that Sahara is still the sponsor of the Indian cricket team and also the owner of Pune Warriors franchise in the IPL.

"Talks are going and in a cordial manner. We hope there will be positive outcome from the negotiations by this week," Shukla told IANS here on the sidelines of a promotional event held by Nova Medical Centre.

"Sahara is very much a sponsor of the Indian team and also of the owners of the Pune Warriors franchise in the IPL. I am hopeful that they will continue their association with the BCCI. They have been sponsoring the team for the last 11 years and we are like a family. Misunderstandings can take place in a family and they get sorted out as well," he said.

Asked what role ex-BCCI president Shashank Manohar is playing in the negotiation process, Shukla said: "He is not playing any main role as reported in the media. We are working as a team. All the issues will be sorted out by this week."

Manohar, who is also a leading lawyer, and some top officials of the BCCI, including board president N. Srinivasan, secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke, were spotted meeting the Sahara top brass at the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai, Tuesday.

During Manohar's tenure as BCCI president, Sahara bought the Pune franchise for a whopping Rs.1,700 crore, the costliest franchise in the IPL.

Sahara, which has been sponsoring the Indian cricket team for 11 years, severed all its ties with the BCCI earlier this month, saying it was denied natural justice and the last straw was the BCCI's refusal to allow Yuvraj Singh's price to be added to Pune Warriors' auction purse after the southpaw was ruled out of the tournament with a lung tumour.

Sahara signed a fresh sponsorship contract with the BCCI July 1, 2010, and it runs till Dec 31, 2013. According to the Rs.532-crore contract, Sahara will pay Rs.3.34 crore per Test match, one-day international and Twenty20 international under the new terms.

Sahara bought the IPL franchise Pune Warriors for Rs.1,702 crore, making it the most expensive franchise in the Twenty20 league. In all, the BCCI stands to lose around Rs.2,234 crore as a result of the Sahara pullout decision.

Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan also came out in support of the Pune Warriors as he stated that if Sahara does request for a fifth foreign player to be included in their playing XI, then all the franchise owners of the league are unlikely to object.

(With IANS inputs)