BCCI may call for fresh bids

The Board of Control for Cricket in India told the Bombay high court on Monday that it has powers to cancel the tender process as well as call for a fresh bid for telecast of cricket matches, and indicated that it may do so incase the legal row between ESPN-Star Sports and Zee Telefilms Ltd is not resolved soon.

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The statement was made by Board of Control for Cricket in India counsel K K Venugopal, who said the matter needs to be resolved speedily as the Australian cricket board has threatened to withdraw from the upcoming cricket series in case there is no telecast of the matches.

The tender process has been challenged by ESPN-Star Sports through a petition questioning the award of the $308 million telecast rights for cricket matches to be played in India between October 2004 and September 2008 to Zee Telefilms by BCCI.

Venugopal said, "The tender gives us right to cancel the whole process," and added that the BCCI may call for a fresh bid from both these parties as well as three other parties and may decide on the winner on the basis of the highest bid.

He said that the clause 3.2, which deals with eligibility in terms of experience and production capacity may be done away with and the new tender would just focus on the highest bid.