The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be sharing its archive footage with host broadcaster Star Sports after being requested to do so.
With no live cricket happening at this stage because of the game's global suspension amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Star India Pvt Ltd is dealing with an unfamiliar situation where there is no on-field play to keep the audiences engaged.
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And hence, a request to share access to BCCI's massive cricket archives was made, which the board obliged to. These archives, including some of the finest moments in the history of Indian cricket, can now be re-telecasted for the fans deprived of any action during this phase.
An official letter by the BCCI on this matter will be sent to Star on Monday (April 6).
"These are unusual times so I think they (Star) made this request," a source close to the development told TOI. "They've been partners with the BCCI for what? Nine years now? That's the least the BCCI could've done and it's great that they agreed to it."
These archives haven't been easy to get access to because "that's one thing the Board is very particular about. It charges top dollar when it comes to sharing archived footage".
This, hence, seems a one-off instance given the Star's longstanding association with the board and the circumstances.
In another matter, the BCCI has sent a letter to Star India invoking the 'Force Majeure' clause in case there is further suspension/delay to the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
'Force Majeure' is a contractual clause where there is a reference to the occurrence of an event, which is outside the reasonable control of a party and which prevents that party from performing its obligations under a contract, has been outlined. This clause has become more relevant because of the outbreak.
The letter, however, is merely a contractual obligation that has been sent as a precautionary measure. The letter contains no specification over what may happen to the immediate future of IPL 2020, with the board leaving it to the broadcaster to speculate that all efforts will be made to host the tournament at some stage later this year.
"Invoking the (Force Majeure) clause is just a precautionary measure. It's a contractual obligation. The more important thing is that hosting the IPL remains BCCI's top priority, of course only if the current situation relents," source said.
(Inputs from TOI)
