Poll

What is the best way to reduce congestion in shopping hubs?survey software

Uncertainity looms over IPL

 

The controversy regarding IPL seems to get murkier and dirtier day-by-day, and its ripple effects are now becoming visible. After BCCI cancelled the contract of Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings XI, there is uncertainty regarding their sponsorship deals. Sponsorships could be the first casualty of the ban on these two teams. According to some media planners, most of the sponsors of both the teams may not renew their contracts. Given the unpredictability of the games, most of the sponsors have annual contracts. Hence, it is quiet unlikely that any of the sponsors may actually retain their deal with these teams. Ultra tech cement, UB group, TCS, Orbit are some of the sponsors of Rajasthan Royals. The franchise got anywhere between one crore and four crores for every sponsorship deal. On the other hand, the Punjab team got anywhere between one crore and four crores of sponsorship deal. They had ten sponsors including Reebok, Whirlpool, Royal Challenge to name a few. These teams are on the verge of losing their sponsorship which will be a big set-back for them.

But the players may not get affected as their three-year contract with the teams ended on September 26 and they will be placed for open bid

BCCI Chairman Shashank Manohar

in the auction that will happen later. While BCCI’s decision to axe the two teams has shocked and surprised many, it also raises doubts about the BCCI’s intension in taking such a decision. BCCI’s Chairman Shashank Manohar said, their decision to remove the teams was because of their breach of contract. But speculations are rife that BCCI took this crucial decision due to the teams’ proximity to the former Chairman of IPL, Lalit Modi. It is also believed that Lalit Modi has indirect stakes in these teams. BCCI rejected the claim that the ban had to do anything with Modi.

There is also a serious doubt whether the termination by BCCI is legal or not. The BCCI claims that in the case of Rajasthan Royals, there have been gross violations in ownership patterns, and shares have been sold or transferred without permission of the governing council; and in the case of King’s XI, the controlling entity of the franchise is not the original bidder or the entity which was originally claimed as the entity that will operate the franchise. According to the former BCCI lawyer Hitesh Jain, these are valid grounds for termination. But what needs to be seen is the opinion that the courts will provide on this issue. The most serious concern to these teams is that they may not get back their franchise agreement because, as per prior judgments on franchisee agreements, the Supreme Court has consistently only allowed remedy through damages and not specific performance of the contract. Hence, even if the termination is proved illegal, the contracts will not be restored and the teams cannot participate in IPL 4. The BCCI, however, also would be required to clarify on how they weren’t aware of such ownership issues over the past three years.

No second chance for Rajasthan Royals

In an attempt to get their franchise back, Rajasthan Royals wrote a letter yesterday to the BCCI President asking for a second chance. Inthe letter written by the Royals Chairman Manoj Badale, he appeals to the BCCI not to take any action without allowing them to tell their side of the story. He also expressed shock over the decision taken by BCCI to cancel their contract without any prior notice to them. In response to this, the BCCI President Shashank Manohar has clearly stated that BCCI has no intention of giving any second chance to the Rajasthan Royals team.

Deadline nears for Kochi team

Meanwhile, the Kochi team too is facing some internal problems on ownership and the key investors like Anchor Earth, Parinee

Rendezvous Sports World( Owners of Kochi Team)

Developers, Rosy Blue and Film Wave in the Kochi team are determined about leaving the entire enterprise if they are unable to either remove or, at least, thin down the free equity to 10% held by the Rendezvous Sports World Limited (RSW). Currently RSW holds 25% of free equity in the team. So far, the investors in the Kochi team haven’t reached any compromise among themselves. The BCCI gave them10 days to solve their problems and with just one more day to go, it remains to be seen if they will also be knocked off from the IPL.

IPL team’s future at stake
Whether the IPL remained in dark or the BCCI was unaware regarding these issues is not known. First, it is very important for the BCCI and the IPL governing council not to play blame-game anymore and act fast. Both of them have to equally share their responsibilities and should work together to clear the mess in the IPL. If Rajasthan Royals and the Punjab teams remain axed and if the Kochi team too gets knocked off, then the number of teams will go down to seven. This may cause a big blow to the broadcasters and others associated with it. It will also not be happy news to all those crazy cricket fans who worship cricket and are looking forward to another enthralling season of IPL cricket.

IPL: Rajasthan Royals, Punjab booted out

 

The big daddy of Indian cricket – BCCI (Board of control for Cricket in India) has now jumped into the fray to clear the mess in the Indian Premier League(IPL). But its recent actions have added more fuel to this raging controversy. The famous Indian Premier League which made India the cynosure of the world, has been in the eye of a storm for all the wrong reasons.

Rajasthan Royals,  Punjab axed

BCCI recently banned two popular teams namely, the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab for the breach of their franchise agreement on October 2, 2010. BCCI took the step to axe them after franchisees of these two teams were found to have breached the agreement signed by them during the first IPL season in 2008. The two franchisees, K.P.H. Dream Cricket Pvt. Ltd.(Punjab) and Jaipur Cricket Pvt. Ltd.(Rajasthan Royals) are now barred from participating in IPL season 4 as there were discrepancies regarding their shareholding pattern and ownership transfers. Their contracts have also been cancelled by BCCI. The controversial Kochi team, owned by Rendezvous Sport Ltd., has been given ten days time to resolve their internal dispute and form a group to incorporate their franchise and get their documents in place failing which their contract would also be terminated.

 

Kings XI Punjab playing against Rajasthan Royals

The IPL, a money spinning tournament inaugurated in 2008, was a resounding success with great players from all over the world participating in it. It involved big money and also had its slice of glitz and glamour to make it instantly popular. There were eight        teams and some of them were owned and endorsed by famous celebrities like Shahrukh Khan (Kolkata Knight Riders), Preity Zinta (Punjab), Shilpa Shetty (Rajasthan Royals) and Industrialist Vijay Mallya(Bangalore). The League was declared open on April 18, 2008 with much fanfare and grandeur. Rajasthan Royals were the champions of the first edition of IPL. Punjab too fared well and reached the semi-finals before losing to Chennai Super Kings. Everyone was all praise for BCCI and the former chairman Lalit Modi for the game’s success. IPL season 2 and 3 also were as successful as the first edition.

With inclusion of two more teams, Pune and Kochi, IPL season 4 seemed to offer more fun to frenzied cricket fans with a greater number of T20 matches to be played by ten teams. But now, with the exclusion of two popular teams, the total number teams comes down to  eight . It may go down to seven if Kochi does not form its group within the given deadline.

Owners Shocked

Shilpa Shetty( co-owner-Rajasthan Royals), Lalit Modi( former IPL chairman),Preity Zinta(co-owner -Punjab)

India, which faced national shame due to the CWG mess that is suspected to be rife with scandals, is now bound to face some ugly truths with such an unexpected and shocking decision regarding the IPL. The two affected teams had some of the greatest players namely, Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara to name a few playing for them. It is sad that teams which had such great players have been booted out. But the road does not end here. Both team owners have already geared up to take legal actions against the ban. Celebrity stars Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty, co-owners of Punjab and Rajasthan teams respectively have expressed disgust over the decision taken by the BCCI. The other IPL team owners are also supporting these two teams. One has to wait and see what lies in the future for both the teams and also to this format of the game which enthralled the audiences with their fanfare throughout all seasons.

The French ban on veil

 

France’s long standing debate on the veil worn by Muslim women came to an end when the French senate passed a bill to ban women from wearing the burqa (veil) in public places. The bill was passed on September 14, this year. The senate voted 246 to1 in favor of the bill in a step to make the ban a law. Nearly 10% of France’s population is Muslim population , making France one of several European countries with a large Muslim population. After a series of heated debates that had stirred the nation for the past few decades, the French senate recently enacted a law to ban the veil.

Muslim women wearing burqa

Subsequently, a question also arises with this move — has France voluntarily forced itself into the lion’s den, by infringing on the rights of true religious commitments?  Taking into account, the string of events that ensued after the ban, France seems to have increasingly attracted trouble from terrorist groups and mainstream Muslims. The ban first raised massive outcry against the French Government from all over the world. The terrorist group, Al-Qaeda has demanded that France should withdraw the ban for the release of five French nationals who were kidnapped at a uranium mine in Nigeria last month. This is not the first time that France is facing such a situation. Earlier, in 2004, a similar circumstance arose, when secular schools expelled Muslim girls for not  removing their head scarf. In the same year, France banned Muslim schoolgirls from wearing head scarves as they considered it as the symbol of an anti-modern worldview. A militant group kidnapped two French journalists in Iraq and threatened to kill them if France did not quash the ban of head scarves. The two journalists were later released after 124 days in abduction.

Protests against veil ban

French legislators view the full veil as a symbol of Islamic fundamentalism and a big threat to them. Ironically, many members of the Muslim community feel that the ban may create a rift between French citizens and Muslim citizens . They feel that this sense of alienation itself may drive many into the hands of fundamentalists. The ban is also seen as an attack on their religious identity. But supporters of the law see the ban as a victory against strict Muslim practices. There are also some who feel that France’s real motive behind the ban is to abate the growing identity of Muslim population in Europe. There may be some truths in it as there has been a consistent growth of their population in Europe. The Muslim population has more than doubled in the past few decades in Europe and it is expected to grow more in the future. The European Union has already expressed concern on this issue and the decision by France may have been a small step to prevent Muslim domination.

The bill that was passed will come into effect only after a six-month period which has been set aside for mediation and explanation.  If they are implemented, women who wear the veil in public places would have to pay a hefty penalty amount of $190. Those who force their wives and daughters to wear the veil have to face tough penalties or jail term. This will make France the first European country to ban the shroud. Following this, Belgium too has planned to pass this legislation. Nevertheless, with growing and widespread opposition within the country and the Al-Qaeda vowing to take “dreadful revenge” against France, this veil-law seems to have fuelled the issue rather than provided a solution.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!