New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has received a request from host broadcasters Star wherein they want to show political advertisements during the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League, starting May 23.
While the Media Rights Agreement (MRA) between BCCI and Star clearly states that there is no place for political/religious advertisements, the SC-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) is set to discuss the matter on Monday.
Speaking to a news agency, sources in the know of developments said that while the chances of the CoA approving of Star showing political advertisements during the IPL is close to zilch, the matter will be discussed nevertheless.”The three-member CoA will meet on Monday and since the request has come in, they will look into what exactly Star is looking at.
But, the chance of the committee overturning the earlier stand of the BCCI in this regard is close to zero. The last time the board was approached by the broadcasters to show political ads during the IPL, the BCCI had made it clear that sports and politics must be kept at a distance,” the source explained. A senior BCCI official said that this was an area that needed to be treaded upon with utter caution because never had the board mixed cricket and politics.
“I am not aware if Star has communicated anything of the sort but I do not see the BCCI relenting on this point at all. This would set a very bad precedent and the BCCI has always kept politics away from the game and this was true even when Union Ministers were the decision makers in the BCCI.
Let it be confirmed first whether such a move is indeed being made since I have known the people at Star and I personally do not think they would be this foolhardy, unless of course they either feel that they could get their way with the help of those seeking political postings once their innings in the BCCI gets over or they are under some pressure,” he told a news agency.
