IPL 2020: Doordarshan seeks grand comeback with radio rights for tournament from BCCI

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) which was scheduled to commence on March 29 was postponed to April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Despite uncertainty surrounding the tournament, Indian national broadcaster Prasar Bharati has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the audio rights of the tournament.

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Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati told a leading media network that the IPL is not a part of the current MoU between BCCI and Prasar Bharati but they are keen that the BCCI expands the scope of their agreement, which is right now limited to home matches of the Indiancricket team and certain domestic tournaments.

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Vempati added that he has personally written to the Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI President and its office bearers to consider expanding the current MoU arrangement to include the IPL so that radio listeners get to follow the matches. He also said that in the current situation, it might also be ideal keeping public interest in mind and they are optimistic that the BCCI will get back to them.

Prasar Bharti had written to the BCCI last year as well, requesting them to include IPL in the list but since the body itself was going through restructuring, the proposal never saw the light of the day.

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IPL 2020: BCCI to incur heavy losses if IPL 2020 gets cancelled

With the IPL being a massive revenue-generating stream, cancelling the tournament could land a heavy blow on BCCI's financial plans for the year ahead. According to new figures that have emerged in a report, the BCCI could face losses amounting to ₹3,869.50 crores. These losses would come in the form of the broadcast and digital revenues that the BCCI was supposed to earn from sponsors. It was even reported that one of the IPL's primary broadcasters sold off most of their advertising spots for the IPL, two months ahead of the tournament's original starting date. 

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IMAGE COURTESY: INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE INSTAGRAM