Indian Premier League 2008 Full Story
The IPL also decided that a new players' auction, ahead of its second season in April-May 2009, will be on February 6, 2009, in Mumbai, and the window for trading of players between franchises will be between December 15, 2008 and January 15, 2009.
It was also decided that squads will not be allowed temporary replacements from 2009 and all teams that had temporary replacements will have the first right to pick those players.
These decisions were taken at the IPL's three-day franchisee workshop that concluded in Bangkok, on Sunday, said a statement on Monday.
The IPL also relaxed the guidelines for commercial leverage for teams, providing them with more opportunities on-ground and in branding of teams.
A detailed hospitality and ticketing operations plan was also drafted and approved with a focus on improving the spectator experience including food courts and quality hospitality being provided to spectators, the statement added.
The statement was, however, silent on whether the player cap of US $5 million, kept last year, was revised or not after demands to increase it had come in from the franchise owners.
The workshop, attended by over 130 personnel associated with the League, discussed player regulations, commercial, logistics, hospitality, ticketing, licensing and merchandising.
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IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said the decisions arrived at over player regulations and trading window, among others, "should make for an exhilarating experience for IPL fans in 2009.
Now IPL teams get options to curb losses
At the same time, players too will have the opportunity to negotiate for a salary hike. This was decided in Bangkok at a meeting between IPL's governing council and the franchisees.
The new rules for the trading window, that will be open till January 15, specify that franchisees can put players up for sale if the players agree to it. If the player sells for a higher amount than his current contracted fee, the selling franchisee will get to keep some of the profit and the player gets the rest.
Indian Premier League 2009 Updates
The sharing of the extra amount is to be negotiated individually between players and their current franchisees. The franchisees' share will have to be at least 50 percent.
If the player sells for a lower amount than his current fees, he does not lose out. He will continue to get what he did in the 2008 season. The selling franchisee will pay a 'subsidy' to the buying one to cover the difference. This allows teams that believe they have paid too much to a player who has not delivered, to minimize their losses.
Further protection for franchisees comes in the form of a clause that says "they will no longer have to pay players their entire contracted fee merely if they are fit and available for matches".
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Players who do not actually get picked to play will lose up to 20 percent of the contracted fee. In effect, 20 percent of the annual fee becomes a form of match fees that will be paid only if the player is in the playing XI. Unfortunately for franchisees, this crucial change will be effective only for the "new" players - those who do not already have contracts signed in 2008.
Among the other changes proposed for the 2009 season, each franchisee can now own 10 foreign players instead of eight, though there can't be more than four in the playing XI. Also, no temporary replacements will be allowed to cover partial unavailability during the season.
According to the player auction rules, franchisees who brought in temporary replacements in the last season would have exclusive negotiation rights with them till December 31. If they are unable to reach a deal with these players by that date, these players will then join the general auction for new players to be held in February 2009.
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Prior to this auction, franchisees will have to indicate to IPL the international players they are interested in buying and the price they are willing to pay.
IPL will then contact these players and negotiate a base price for the auction with them. It will also be responsible for getting no-objection certificates from their boards. IPL itself could also propose players for the auction. The February auction will be subject to a cap of $2 million per franchisee.
Brabourne to host Champions League ties
The commissioner and chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Lalit Modi on Monday confirmed that the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai will host the city's Champions League matches and the final.
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"Since Wankhede Stadium, which hosts international matches in Mumbai is under renovation for the 2011 World Cup, we will play the Champions League matches at the Brabourne which will also host the India-England second Test match from December 19 to 23," Modi told Cricketnext.com on Monday.
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Meanwhile, former Mumbai skipper and the secretary of the Cricket Club of India (CCI) where the Brabourne Stadium is situated said their venue would be hosting a Test match after 35 and the Test would be played on a different pitch from the Twenty20 matches.
