The tournament has been postponed indefinitely after the coronavirus entered the bio bubble of IPL 2021. This decision is not so easy for the BCCI. Postponing the IPL could cost the BCCI more than Rs 2,000 crore in broadcast and sponsorship money. The BCCI was forced to postpone the IPL after several cases of corona virus were reported among players and support staff in New Delhi and Ahmedabad in the last few days.
A senior BCCI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told PTI that the postponement in the middle of this season would cost us Rs. 2000 to 2500 crore could be lost. I would say that the amount of Rs 2200 crore would be more accurate.
The 52-day 60-match tournament was scheduled to end on May 30 in Ahmedabad. However, cricket was only played for 24 days and the tournament was postponed due to coronavirus after 29 matches during this period. The biggest loss to the BCCI will be the amount received from Star Sports from the broadcasting officer of the tournament. Star’s five-year contract is worth Rs 16,347 crore, which is more than Rs 3,269 crore every year. If there are 60 matches in a season, the amount of each match is around Rs 54 crore 50 lakh.
If the star pays per match, the amount of 29 matches is around Rs 1580 crore. In such a scenario, the board would lose Rs 1,690 crore. Similarly, the mobile manufacturer pays Rs 440 crore per season as the title sponsor of the Vivo tournament and due to the postponement of the tournament, the BCCI is expected to receive less than half the amount. The BCCI will have to bear more losses due to the postponement of the IPL. Unacademy, Dream 11, Sired, Up Stocks and Tata Motors are the subsidiary companies, each of which earns Rs. 120 crore.
“All payments should be halved or less and you will lose about Rs 2,200 crore,” the official said. Actually the loss may be much higher than this, but this is the estimated loss of the season. The loss would also halve the Central Revenue Pool (the BCCI, which distributes money to eight franchisees).
However, the official did not say how much damage would be done to each franchise due to the postponement of the tournament. Players will be paid on time instead of in vain. If the player has made himself available for the tournament, then the salary will be in proportion.
VR Sunil Gohil
