A Pune-base Lawyer, Abhishek Lagoo approached the High Court of Bombay to challenge the decision taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to hold the 13th season of Indian Premier League this year in UAE instead of India. The petition filed by him said if IPL will be held outside India then it will cause great economic loss and revenue loss to the country. He also said that the central government from time to time easing the lockdown and allowing the gardens, malls, and other public places to open with proper precautions and full safety measures.
This year’s IPL was to begin in March but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, BCCI postponed that date and not will be held between Sept 19 to Nov 10 at Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai stadium of the UAE subject to necessary clearance of the government.
Advocate Abhishek Lagoo who claims to be a big fan of cricket said that the IPL is one of the biggest T20 cricket league and its brand value in 2019 was Rs 475 billion and is the revenue is earner for the BCCI. The petition was heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Deepankar Dutta and Justice Revati Mohite Dere on August 18.
The IPL has over the years, become the major economic activity in India, it boosts the economy, generates employment, increases business volumes and various sectors and if the IPL will be held outside India then it will cause a huge revenue and economic loss for the government of India in terms of logistics, tourists, advertisers and so on, the plea said.
The petition also said that the IPL is not a charity event, the pandemic has created great difficulties for the businesses. Holding the IPL in India will boost the economy which the country needs desperately.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)-
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the governing body for cricket in India.
the Board was formed in December 1928. It is a consortium of state cricket associations and the state associations select their representative who in turn select the BCCI chief.
Its headquarter is in Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.
BCCI is the richest sporting body and the richest cricket board in the world.
Mr. Saurav Ganguly is the present BCCI president. It is considered to be the highest and honorary post because of India’s craze for cricket.
Mr. Rahul Johri was appointed as the First chief executive officer of BCCI in 2016.
Indian Premier League (IPL)-
The Indian Premier League is a professional T20 cricket league in India Contested during March and May of every year by eight teams representing eight cities in India. The league was founded by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2008. The IPL has an exclusive window in the ICC Future Tours Program.
The members are Rajiv Shukla, Ajay Shirke, Saurav Ganguly, Anurag Thakur, and Anirudh Chaudhary. In January 2016 the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee to recommend separate governing bodies for the BCCI and the IPL, where Justice R.M. Lodha suggested one state-one-member pattern for the board.
