BCCI parts ways with UK-based company IMG

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially parted ways with the International Management Group. It is believed that the board had sent a termination notice earlier this week, ending a 13-year-old association. The event management firm held the rights of hosting the Indian Premier League since its inception. 

In 2017, the UK-based company yet again bagged the event rights for a period of five years.  While they had two more years left for the contract to end, sources close to the development say that the decision was on the offing after IMG’s senior vice-president and marketing head Catherine Simpson stepped down from her position last month.  

As the new season of IPL draws close, the board has decided to put together qualified and experienced administrators to run the show. The upcoming edition of the IPL is likely to be held in its usual window of April-May. According to a few reports, the much-awaited mini-auction will be in the second week of February. All the franchises have been requested to submit a list of retained players before January 21. 

The board is keen to host the tournament in India but the decision will be based on how the ongoing T20 tournament Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy pans out. 

[Times of India input]