BCCI set to pay 33 crore to IMG for 2009 IPL

Mumbai:

The Indian Cricket Board will have to shell out Rs 33 crore to the International Management Group (IMG) for the conduct of this year's tournament, according to BCCI sources.

"The amount for 2009 is around Rs 33 crore," the sources said on Sunday after the BCCI terminated the services of the sports management firm in running the cash-rich tournament.

The sources said the decision to terminate the relationship with IMG in the running of the cash-rich T20 League was taken by the Board at its Working Committee meeting held here on August 13.

"That decision was taken by the Working Committee as the members felt the BCCI was being overcharged (by the sports management firm)," the sources said.

The Board Secretary N Srinivasan had written a letter to the IMG that the BCCI would not be using the sports management firm's services in future to conduct IPL.

He had mentioned in his letter that the Board paid close to Rs 43 crore to IMG in 2008.

The BCCI is to pay around Rs eight crore each to 25 of its affiliated associations as their share of the IPL spoils working out to Rs 260 crore, with 70 per cent of it being distributed to the associations.

The sources said no formal contract had been signed between the BCCI and the IMG.

Asked whether the termination of IMG's services would affect the conduct of the IPL in future, he retorted, "We have the men to run it properly. It's not rocket science."

The IPL Governing Council is set to meet in Mumbai on September 2 to finalise the accounts of IPL 2.