NEW DELHI: If the cash-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has its way, soon Indian Premier League (IPL) T-shirts, jerseys, caps, cafes and bars could be all over the place.

Having mopped up Rs 350 crore in profits from the inaugural IPL, BCCI is further monetising the league. To begin with, sources say, BCCI is working on plans to license out IPL brand for about $15-20 million for a five-year window. Board officials are learnt to be in talks with two-three global merchandising firms for licensing out IPL brand before the second season commences next April-May.

BCCI plans to license out IPL brand for T-shirts, jerseys and caps; cricket gear, including gloves, stumps and helmets; stationery; bags; and, subsequently, even to bars and cafes. The licensing deal could pan out to other countries which have representations from players in the league. Sporting properties such as Fifa, Wimbledon and EPL teams like Manchester United operate wide-spread licensing models across various global markets. IPL CEO Sundar Raman told ET: “We are evaluating various options and will go with what is best.”

IPL merchandise would be independent of products sold by team franchisees and their sponsors. The concept could be a money spinner, say industry experts. In the first IPL season, for example, footwear and apparel maker Reebok made a neat profit by selling KKR-branded T-shirts and jerseys. Reebok, the merchandise partner of KKR, sold merchandise of over Rs 5-7 crore in Kolkata alone. This, when SRK jerseys were priced at Rs 1,899 each and T-shirts at roughly Rs 500. As Reebok failed to meet the demand, fake KKR-SRK apparel gained currency.

Licensed merchandise is a fast-growing retail segment, with global retail sales estimated at about $195.7 billion last year. Meanwhile, all eight teams are working on plans to monetise their team prospects by planning long-term corporate sponsorship deals in addition to the ones they had inked for the first season. These could also include merchandising deals with sponsors.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Over Rs 20 lakh spent just on cushioned chairs for VIP guests during the Indian Premier League (IPL)! Well, in what could snowball into the biggest controversy over Prasun Mukherjee’s reign at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), it has been revealed that cricketing body overspent big time during this year’s Twenty20 extravaganza.

When Shah Rukh Khan’s much-hyped Kolkata Knight Riders took the city by storm in April-May during the 45-day Twenty20 carnival, little did he and the Indian Cricket board realize that the CAB administration would bungle badly and overshoot their IPL budget by almost Rs five crore.
Source: indianexpress.com

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: The Pakistan Cricket Board will agree with whatever decision the Indian Premier League takes after bowler Mohammad Asif’s “B” sample test reportedly also came out positive.

“Since he played in an Indian domestic (cricket) event and was also tested there, it’s not us who are going to launch an inquiry into this case,” PCB’s chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi told The Associated Press.”Whatever decision the IPL officials take, we will accept it,” Naghmi said.The right arm paceman tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone from a sample taken on May 30 while he was playing in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils.

On Tuesday, media reports in Pakistan quoted Asif’s lawyer Shahid Karim as saying that the “B” sample also came out positive.Asif faces a likely ban of two years. Karim, who accompanied Asif to Geneva for the “B” sample, was quoted on ARY OneWorld television as saying that there were discrepancies in the quantity of nandrolone found in the two tests.The Pakistan Cricket Board has suspended the 25-year-old Asif from playing all forms of the game and has also dropped him from next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.”Unless he clears himself from this doping case, he could not represent Pakistan,” Naghmi said.Following the completion of the IPL season, Asif was detained in Dubai for weeks after airport authorities found an illegal substance. He was later released without charge.

In 2006, Asif and fellow-paceman Shoaib Akhtar were pulled out of the Champions Trophy after both tested positive for nandrolone during internal testing by the PCB.
Source:iht.com

Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming is hoping to get some cricket under his belt with Wellington before returning for a second stint with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

The 35-year-old batsman has been spending time with his family and setting up a new business since retiring from the international scene earlier this year and admitted getting his focus back on cricket would be a battle ahead of next year’s April 10 start date for the Twenty20 tournament.”I think the challenge will be mentally to become a cricketer again. At the moment I’m certainly not a cricketer.

“To be going back and forth is a bit awkward and will be a challenge.”I’ll have to wait and see how I deal with it.”Fleming has not taken up one of Wellington’s 12 full-time contracts and instead hopes to play for them on a more casual basis once the draw has been decided.”I’m trying to put something together that gives me an opportunity to get some cricket under my belt and play well and contribute,” he told Radio Sport.

“So if it can take place then I will certainly do it. If not, then I will just have to batten down the hatches over there.”Turning up cold against Shoaib (Akhtar) and Brett (Lee) doesn’t excite me that much.”
Source: cricket365.com

Big TV, the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Amabni Group’s soon-to-be-launched direct-to-home venture, has bagged the official DTH partnership for the Indian Premier League, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Twenty20 cricket tournament, for a bid of $31.16 million (about Rs 137 crore) for the next four years.

According to industry sources, Big TV outbid the only other contender, Airtel Digital TV, the Bharti group’s DTH service. Airtel Digital TV, which is also expected to be launched soon, had put in a bid of $30.28 million for the same number of years.

Reliance Entertainment President Rajesh Sawhney said in a statement: “We at Big TV are excited at being chosen the DTH partner of the DLF IPL. As an official partner of this premier event, Big TV will play its role in the enhancement of the league and in the process add to its own business and public profile.” Bharti Airtel, however, declined to comment on the issue.

The tender for the DTH partner was made public today. Under the terms, Big TV will be contributing Rs 34.27 crore a year as a part of its commitment to IPL as the official DTH partner. IPL had signed up the likes of Pepsi and Kingfisher Airlines as the official beverage and airline partners respectively. The league had also roped in Hero Honda, Citibank, ITC Welcomgroup and Vodafone as other official partners.

Source:business-standard.com