No live telecast of Challenger Series

The ongoing controversy over telecast rights between the Indian board and the television channels means that there will be no live coverage of the Challenger Series, which starts in Mumbai on February 7. The tournament has normally been telecast on Doordarshan, the state-owned channel, but this year, the only way to watch the matches will be by going to the venue.

"Last year we had TVS which had come in a big way to sponsor the tournament and there was a live telecast for four days," Ratnakar Shetty, the joint secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), told NDTV, a national news channel. "This year both the things are not happening which is a big loss to the game." In 2003, the tournament was held in Bangalore and sponsored by TVS, a motor company, which contributed almost Rs 25,000,000 (approx US$555,000), much of which went to the Karnataka State Cricket Association.

This year, however, the MCA will get no such benefit, thanks to the telecast imbroglio. "I think domestic cricket has suffered this season because of the television right matter which is pending in the courts," Shetty complained. "I feel that it is important that these matches are telecast live because it would have helped us to gain some form of revenue."