CRICKET INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE:KEVIN PIETERSEN and Andrew Flintoff will lose €163,580 by yesterday's move to put back the start of the Indian Premier League by a week and move the tournament to South Africa.
IPL chairman Lalit Modi yesterday brought an end to the ongoing swirl of speculation about the destination of the tournament by announcing the decision to relocate it to South Africa following talks in Johannesburg.
But, with the England pair’s initial three weeks’ work being cut to two, their pro-rata earnings will now be €327,000 rather than €490,000 after both went for a record-breaking €1.1 million at the IPL auction last month, Pietersen will captain the Bangalore Royal Challengers and Flintoff will play for Chennai Super Kings before they have to return to play for England against West Indies. The decision to move the IPL back by a week will also cost their counties.
Hampshire and Lancashire are due to receive 10 per cent of their earnings by way of compensation.
However, if the tournament had been held in England, initially the favoured location of the BCCI board, the players may also have been hit in the pocket by huge tax demands on their earnings from endorsements. Lawyers said they could be taxed at the top rate, even on money earned outside the UK.
The Board for Control of Cricket in India said the weather in England in April and issues around the lack of permanent floodlights at some grounds had weighed in favour of South Africa, after the decision had been taken on Sunday to move the money-spinning tournament from India for security reasons.
David Collier, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s chief executive, admitted that South Africa was a more practical choice in the timescale available, with the tournament now due to start on April 18th and run for seven weeks.
“We wish the IPL every success in South Africa,” he said. “We all recognised the difficulties and logistical issues involved in areas such as security.”
Modi last night revealed that weather was the defining factor in selecting South Africa over England. Modi felt there was a possibility of “70 to 80 per cent” of matches in the UK being affected by adverse weather and confirmed South Africa would stage the lucrative Twenty20 event after it had to be moved away from India because of a clash with national elections.
“The overwhelming reason that we chose South Africa is primarily the weather conditions,” he said.
“The weather conditions in South Africa during the months of April and May are more favourable than they would have been in the United Kingdom for hosting the matches.
“Both countries have excellent facilities, both countries have great heritage of cricket and both countries have been extremely supportive of us. But I think weather played a very, very important part in deciding.
“If for any reason, we could have gone to England, we would have certainly gone there and we would have loved to have gone there. (India) have nine cities connected to England on a daily basis and (there were some) overwhelming factors that (suggested) we should have had it in England – without doubt. It only boiled down to the fact that 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the matches will be washed out due to rain.”
The schedule for the tournament will be decided in the coming days, with only six yet-to-be-named venues set to host matches, while Modi also revealed that the eight-team competition would now begin on April 18th and last just five weeks instead of six.
