Aussies in IPL, Indians’ quarantine in focus in CA-Channel 7 tussle

New Delhi, Dec 1 : Australian cricketers’ participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well the Indian cricket board’s request that its Test players can’t quarantine separately from the Indian limited-overs squad has come into focus after Channel 7, who hold the free-to-air TV rights for India-Australia Tests and the Big Bash League (BBL), filed an affidavit against Cricket Australia (CA) asking for proof of correspondence between the two boards over rescheduling of the current international season.
Channel 7 took exception to CA’s decision to hold the India-Australia three-match T20 International series between December 4 and 8, saying that it went against the original ‘Published International Schedule’ in the Media Rights Agreement (MRA) that promised that the men’s Big Bash would start on December 3 and would coincide with the start of the first India-Australia Test.
Channel 7 has now filed an affidavit filed in the Victoria district registry of the Federal Court of Australia, seeking communication record between CA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The channel’s ultimate aim is to get compensation for breach of contract between it and CA.
The initial plan was made to get a ‘fast start’ to launch the BBL alongside India-Australia first Test to get broadcast momentum as the tournament’s (TV) ratings had declined over the last five years, claims Channel 7.
The Published International Schedule promised three Test matches prior to Christmas — Australia vs Afghanistan (Perth, November 21-25), Australia vs India (Brisbane, December 3-7), and Australia vs India (Adelaide, December 11-15). The original schedule had the BBL starting with India’s first Test in Brisbane on December 3.
However, after the ICC cancelled the T20 World Cup in early August, CA revised the schedule and sent Channel 7 six revised schedule options, says the Chennel 7 affidavit.