In a startling development, the Indian cricket board has snapped ties with high-profile event organisers International Management Group (IMG), which conducted the first two editions of the IPL Twenty20 carnival.

Miffed over the way payment negotiations with IMG were headed, the BCCI officials decided against renewing its contract with the event-organising firm. The Board had a contract with the IMG over the last two years for conducting IPL Twenty20 matches.

In a strongly-worded letter to IMG’s top representative Andrew Wildwood on Friday, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan informed that the Board won’t be using its services anymore.

In the confidential letter dated August 28, a copy of which is with The Indian

Express, the Board secretary wrote to IMG senior vice-president Wildwood — “The working committee of the Board thought that the amount which was asked by IMG was disproportionate to the services… You were asked to submit a fresh proposal before the next working committee meeting of the Board which you failed to furnish… Please note that the BCCI has taken a decision not to use IMG’s services any more for the Indian Premier League tournament.”

According to the BCCI’s version, problems arose after the second edition of the IPL, which was played in South Africa. The opening edition of the T20 championship, which was played in India in the summer of 2008, went off smoothly between the Board and IMG, with the event-organising company getting paid Rs 42.92 crore.

However, while negotiations for IPL-2 were in progress, the tournament was shifted to South Africa. IMG played its part, and later demanded a sum that the BCCI thought was way too much. The Board reckons the organising company was overcharging for the services it rendered. With the deadlock dragging on, the BCCI eventually decided to end ties with IMG. The cash-rich Board would now be on the look-out for a new organising company for IPL-3, which is slated for March-April 2010.

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