Chennai: Debt-ridden Deccan Chargers’ bid to find a buyer ended in an anti-climax on Thursday with the IPL team rejecting the only bid they received, leaving the future of the beleaguered franchise uncertain.
Deccan Chronicle Holdings, the owner of Deccan Chargers, reportedly received a bid of Rs 900 crore by PVP Venture Capitals, but surprisingly chose to reject it at the auction as it considered the price and terms unsuitable.
The BCCI has now been forced to take a decision on the fate of the Chargers at its Working Committee meeting here on Saturday.
“The price and terms of payments were not acceptable to Deccan Chargers. The BCCI assisted the Deccan Chargers and we also looked at the eligibility criteria, whether they are fit and proper.
“We found that the party was acceptable to us. After that it was between Deccan Chargers and the bidder, there the BCCI was not involved. But they informed us that the price and terms were not suitable, so they didn’t accept it,” BCCI President N Srinivasan told reporters.
Asked if a new tender will be floated since the lone bid has been rejected, Srinivasan said, “You have to ask Deccan Chargers, now it’s upto them. The BCCI has issued a notice to the franchise to clear certain defects. We have given them some time, but that is between BCCI and the franchise.”
The BCCI later issued a press release and said the Board had no role in Chargers’ decision to reject the bid.
“The bid that was received by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited met the BCCI’s eligibility and suitability criteria. The bid was then reviewed by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited who, in its discretion and with no role being played by BCCI, rejected the bid on the basis of the payment terms offered by the bidder,” BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in the release.
A top BCCI official indicated that the Chargers’ contract could be terminated at the Working Committee meeting and a new tender could be floated. There was also a possibility that the PVP company could be given the team.
“It is now upto the Working Committee to take a final decision on the issue,” the official said.
Interestingly, PVP is owned by Potluri Vara Prasad, a successful entrepreneur with interests in infrastructure, movies and financing.
He was named as accused number 19 in the alleged disproportionate assets case against former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy. (PTI)