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Goal takes a look at the top players who played for both Chelsea and Manchester United…

Manchester United are set to take on Chelsea in a crucial Premier League tie at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are coming into this tie on the back of two defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal, conceding seven goals in two matches.

Whenever Manchester and Chelsea meet, there is a lot is at stake. And this time, with just four games to go in the season, it is a must-win tie for Ralf Rangnick's boys if they want to keep their faint top four hopes alive.

The intense rivalry between the two clubs began at the beginning of the 21st century after the Blues became a force to reckon with in England.

While the rivalry is not a traditional one, the two sides have a long list of players who have donned the jerseys of both clubs.

Currently, two Manchester United players Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic started their journey in the Premier League with Chelsea.

Players from yesteryears like Juan Sebastian Veron, Mark Hughes and Ray Wilkins also played for both Manchester United and Chelsea.

Here is a look at the prominent players who have played for Chelsea and Man United.

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  Mason Mount

  Chelsea stint: 2017 – 2023

  Manchester United stint: 2023 – current

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  Romelu Lukaku

  Chelsea stint: 2011-2014, 2021-present

  Manchester United stint: 2017-2019

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  Juan Mata

  Chelsea stint: 2011-2014

  Manchester United stint: 2014-present

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  Nemanja Matic

  Chelsea stint: 2009-2011, 2014-2017

  Manchester United stint: 2017-present

India overcome 110-run deficit to chase down 321 in the fourth innings courtesy half-centuries from Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair and Hanuma Vihari

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2018Getty Images

Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 67 off 71 balls helped India A complete a stirring come-from-behind win in the second four-day Test against West Indies A in Taunton. They chased down 321 with five wickets in hand to clinch the series 1-0.While Pant saw the chase through, the foundation was laid by half-centuries from Hanuma Vihari (68) and captain Karun Nair (55) on Thursday. This allowed India A, who resumed the fourth day needing 107 to win, to rally despite losing two wickets inside the first five overs of play. Jayant Yadav, the offspinner, made 23 not out in an unbroken 100-run stand with Pant for the sixth wicket to seal the win.Two days into the contest though, India A were well behind. They were bowled out for 192 in the first innings, with left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer taking five wickets as West Indies A claimed a 110-run lead. But a sensational fightback led by India’s seamers resulted in West Indies A being bowled out for 210 in their second innings.Half-centuries from John Campbell and Jermaine Blackwood apart, there was little of note in the West Indies second innings; they lost their last nine wickets for 85. Mohammad Siraj picked up four wickets while Rajneesh Gurbani, on India A debut, finished with three. Siraj finished with match figures of 8 for 132.Chasing a huge score, India A openers R Samarth and Abhimanyu Easwaran put on 51. Then Nair, pressing for a middle order berth in India’s Test squad for England, struck eight fours in his 63-ball 55. His 136-run stand with the in-form Vihari put West Indies A on the back foot. Their wickets early on the fourth day threatened to take the game away, but Pant chose to make his mark on the tour with a responsible knock to guide the side home.India A’s final tour game is a one-off Test against England Lions from July 16, one where a number of Test specialists like M Vijay, Mohammed Shami and Wriddhiman Saha are likely to feature ahead of the first Test against England on August 1 at Edgbaston.

City considered signing a number of players who ended up moving to Old Trafford instead – and the blue half of Manchester must be glad they did

In a parallel universe, Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish are getting fired up ahead of the upcoming derby Manchester City. Haaland followed his former coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from Molde to Manchester United, while Grealish moved from Aston Villa to the Red Devils in 2020.

Meanwhile, City defensive duo Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, wearing light blue tracksuits, are discussing how they will stop Haaland and Grealish and are preparing themselves for the volley of abuse they will receive from the Stretford End.

Maguire joined City in 2019 along with Brazilian winger Antony, while Lindelof moved to the Etihad Stadium two years earlier. Raphael Varane is on the substitutes' bench for City after recovering from a niggling injury along with veteran Alexis Sanchez.

Paul Pogba, who controversially switched from the red half of Manchester to the blue half in 2022 as a free agent, will be lining up in midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes, who chose City over United in 2019…

Ok, let's head back to reality, even if it is fun to ponder what might have been been. Because, but for a few differences of opinion between sporting directors, chairmen and agents, a number of players involved in Sunday's Manchester Derby at Old Trafford could have been lining up on the opposite side of the divide.

With City still in the hunt to repeat last year's incredible treble success while United are looking increasingly likely to miss out on the top four, many of those players may have wished they chose a different destination. And City fans will be thanking their lucky stars they avoided some of the players who ended up flopping at Old Trafford.

Ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby, GOAL runs through all the players who were on the verge of moving to City but ended up joining United instead and had a far less happy time as a consequence…

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  Alexis Sanchez

  In January 2018, with just months left on his contract at Arsenal, Sanchez faced a choice between joining two of the best coaches in the world. One option was reuniting with Pep Guardiola, who had signed him for Barcelona and who he has said "was like my dad".

  Then there was Jose Mourinho, who looked to be taking United back to the top. The Portuguese, who was already seeing his arch-rival run away with the title, could not bear the thought of another top player further strengthening City and made an appeal to Sanchez.

  "I was about to go to City," the Chilean told earlier this year. "We talked every day, he sent me messages. Suddenly the phone rings. Mourinho tells me: 'Alexis, here is the number seven shirt available for you'. I wanted to leave at that moment, but I had Guardiola's word.

  "That's when I said to myself, a Chilean footballer playing for Manchester United, something that has never happened. With the seven of Cantona, Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and now a Chilean had it, it was a dream."

  That dream, though, quickly turned into a nightmare for everyone concerned. Sanchez later confessed that after his first training session with United, he asked his agent if he could rip up his contract and go back to Arsenal.

  The Chilean, who earned a reported £400,000 ($485,000)-per-week, never came close to replicating his form for the Gunners at United, and when the Red Devils made a miserable start to the following season, he bore the brunt of criticism.

  Sanchez left United for Inter after a miserable 18 months, scoring just five goals in 45 appearances and looking utterly devoid of confidence and verve, a shadow of the player he once was.

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  Harry Maguire

  Maguire was regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Europe after a stunning 2018 World Cup, and both City and United vied for his signature the following summer. Guardiola was an admirer and the club were ready to match the Red Devils' £70m ($85m) bid for him, but turned away when Leicester, seeing the competition breweing between the two rival clubs, raised their asking price to £80m ($97m).

  "We were interested but we could not afford him. United could," Guardiola later admitted. While Maguire had a perfect debut at Old Trafford, a 4-0 win over Chelsea, things quickly unravelled for him. He recovered his form to steer United to consecutive top-four finishes, but when the team began to fall apart under Solskjaer, he was blamed for their spiral of horrendous results, among them the 5-0 home humiliation by Liverpool.

  Erik ten Hag gave Maguire just eight league starts last season and wanted to sell him in the summer to West Ham for just £30m ($36m), but the defender refused to leave.

  Maguire has staged an impressive recovery after facing merciless ribbing from all quarters and silenced his critics. However, he has continued to be rocked by injury problems and is set to miss the derby. And City, who signed Ruben Dias in 2020 for £64m ($77m), will have few regrets about not getting the deal for Maguire over the line.

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  Paul Pogba

  Pogba's second spell at Manchester United was a long-running and painful saga that finally came to an end when his lucrative, six-year contract ran out in June 2022.

  Despite his many injury issues and the fact he had not managed to truly shine under Mourinho, Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick, City were interested in signing him as a free agent. It was not the first time that Pogba had been linked with City, as Guardiola revealed that he had been offered the chance to sign the Frenchman in 2018 after he fell out with Mourinho, despite agent Mino Raiola calling the City boss "a coward, a dog".

  Pogba, wary of the potential backlash from United fans, opted to move back to Juventus instead. But his second coming in Turin has been a nightmare in every sense, suffering two serious injuries, being subject to blackmail, and then failing a drugs test for elevated levels of testosterone. Another bullet dodged from City's point of view.

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  Cristiano Ronaldo

  With his time at Juventus coming to a bitter end in the summer of 2021, Ronaldo was considering his next move, and City were one of the few clubs who could afford him. When word spread that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was speaking to City, key figures from United, especially Sir Alex Ferguson, began to panic.

  "Honestly, it [moving to City] was close. They spoke a lot and Guardiola said two weeks ago that they tried hard to have me," Ronaldo told Piers Morgan during his infamous interview in December 2022. "Sir Alex Ferguson was the key. I spoke with him… He said to me that, 'It's impossible for you to come to Manchester City'. And I said 'OK, Boss'."

  Ronaldo made an immense start to his second coming, scoring twice on his debut against Newcastle and rescuing victories over Villarreal and Atalanta. But it was clear that United were a worse team as a result, as he slowed down their play and forced them to adapt their style of the past three years to suit him. Ronaldo ended the season as the team's top scorer but United registered their worst points total in 30 years in the Premier League, and his capacity to pull off escape acts slowly diminished.

  His me-first attitude had also had a negative effect on the team, and in his second campaign he stunk out the place, leaving a friendly against Rayo Vallecano at half-time and refusing to come on as a substitute before full-time against Tottenham, incurring a brief suspension. His unauthorised sit-down with Morgan embarrassed United further and there was only going to be one ending – ripping up his contract.

  City, meanwhile, won another title without a striker and then welcomed in Erling Haaland, who fired them to the treble. Yet another bullet dodged.

Maharashtra Cricket Association also says it will conduct a probe into the matter which will be independent of the ICC’s investigation

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Oct-2017Contrary to the BCCI’s assertion that Pandurang Salgaoncar has been “dismissed” from his role, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) says it has only suspended him as head groundsman of the Pune pitch. The MCA will appoint its own committee to conduct a probe, which will be conducted after investigation being carried out by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU).”He has been suspended as curator and as also the MCA member because of any actions which might bring disrepute to the association,” a MCA official told ESPNcricinfo. “There will be an inquiry and depending upon the verdict a final decision will be taken.”Action was taken against Salgaoncar on Thursday, hours before the India-New Zealand T20, for “malpractice” that was captured on camera by undercover reporters from . The decision to suspend Salgaoncar was unilaterally taken by the MCA president Abhay Apte, after the footage was released. It is understood that Salgaoncar had come to the ground on the morning of the T20, but Apte met him and explained the seriousness of the issue. Apte informed Salgaoncar that he was left with no choice but to suspend him. He also said that the best solution was for Salgaoncar to leave the ground.According to the MCA official, Salgaoncar asked if he could watch the match sitting in an MCA box, but Apte declined such a request as the curator’s presence would have added to the media furore. “There was the issue about perception. There is an issue about faith, about trust, and it was not appropriate to let him continue in the job and it would be incorrect,” the MCA official said.The MCA was relieved once ICC match referee Chris Broad gave the match the go-ahead upon examining the pitch.On Thursday, in an emergency meeting, Apte explained to the MCA members the logic behind suspending Salgaoncar. “The MCA suspended him pending enquiry. We cannot terminate him without any proof and finding. And we cannot let him go just based on a perception that he had done something wrong.”Asked whether Salgaoncar had committed a breach of the ICC’s ACU code, the MCA official agreed there was a violation. “Prima facie there is evidence and misconduct and hence he was suspended. If it is confirmed that there was [misconduct] then he will be removed. If it confirmed that was not the case, then he will be reinstated.”

A day after clinching a four-run win against Ireland, Netherlands went on to chase 159 with an over to spare against the same opponents in the second match of the tri-series in Rotterdam

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2018Peter Della Penna

A day after clinching a four-run win against Test nation Ireland, Netherlands went on to chase 159 with an over to spare against the same opponents in the second match of the tri-series in Rotterdam. The four-wicket win was led by their openers before Roelof van der Merwe scored 37 off 26 and then captain Pieter Seelaar saw them through with an unbeaten 22. Van der Merwe had also taken two wickets earlier as Ireland scored 158 for 6 with an unbeaten 42-ball 45 from Gary Wilson.Netherlands never let the required run rate out of control once Tobias Visee started the chase with a 15-ball 25 and his opening partner Max O’Dowd scored a brisk 39 off 24. George Dockrell broke the stand when he bowled Visee in the fourth over and Nos. 3 and 4 Ben Cooper and Bas de Leede got out cheaply. Between those two wickets, O’Dowd was caught behind off Stuart Thompson and Netherlands were 97 for 4 in the 12th over.However, van der Merwe and Seelaar stitched a stand of 39 runs in 32 balls, as van der Merwe struck three fours and a six. Even though he was bowled by Barry McCarthy in the 17th over, Netherlands needed another 23 runs from 20 balls and Seelaar’s unbeaten knock took them home.Earlier, Ireland opted to bat and their openers Paul Stirling (27 off 16) and James Shannon (31 off 21) gave them a flying start. They put on 58 runs by the fifth over but were both bowled within a space of nine balls and it reduced Ireland’s run rate thereafter. The middle order could not capitalise on the platform, as left-arm medium-pacer Fred Klaassen and van der Merwe strangled the scoring rate. William Porterfield and Wilson could not score at a strike rate of over 110 in the 62 combined balls they faced together to score a total of 65 runs and even though Kevin O’Brien struck 13 runs off six balls, 158 did not prove to be enough.

Jason Holder’s second five-wicket haul in three Tests consigned Bangladesh to another embarrassing meltdown

The Report by Mohammad Isam13-Jul-2018Jason Holder leaps to celebrate a wicket•CWI Media

Bangladesh were bowled out for 149 in reply to West Indies’ 354, producing yet another inept batting display. Jason Holder led the home side’s bowling attack with superb spells on either side of the tea interval. He removed three of Bangladesh’s four most experienced batsmen – Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim – before completing his third five-wicket haul with the wickets of Mehidy Hasan and Abu Jayed.West Indies opted against enforcing the follow-on, but lost Kraigg Brathwaite, whose series ended with a low score when he was bowled by Shakib in the day’s last over. It was a minor slip-up in an otherwise superb day for West Indies, which they ended on 19 for 1.Till the tea interval, the two teams had taken one session each. Bangladesh had taken six West Indies wickets for just 59 runs in the first session, as the home side were bowled out for 354. But Jason Holder and Shannon Gabriel brought them back in control with two wickets each in the middle session, before a Keemo Paul beauty gave the fast bowler his first Test wicket. Tamim Iqbal, who had survived two reviews, a dropped catch by Devon Smith at slip and several close shaves, finally fell for 47 in the final session. Paul beat his outside edge with an angled delivery that many experienced fast bowlers find hard to create.Next ball, he had Nurul Hasan lbw for a golden duck although replays suggested that he had been struck outside off. But Mushfiqur at the other end didn’t offer any help as Nurul walked away.Mushfiqur’s stay didn’t last long either. He was caught by Shai Hope at gully, to give Jason Holder his third wicket. Miguel Cummins joined in the act with Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s wicket, another lbw decision that was upheld after the review.Holder’s fourth wicket was Taijul Islam, bowled through the gate with Bangladesh still five runs short of avoiding the follow-on,
The second session had begun badly for Bangladesh as they lost Liton Das and Mominul Haque quickly. Liton was slightly unlucky as replays showed that the Gabriel delivery would have missed his leg stump. Liton, too, didn’t review.Mominul’s difficulty dealing with the full ball continued when he edged to gully for the second time in the series while on the move. His dismal scores read 1, 0 and 0 so far.Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim handled the West Indies attack better thereafter, adding 59 runs for the third wicket. They struck a number of fours through point and cover, but had loose moments. An over after he was dropped, Holder removed Shakib with an incoming delivery that he misread and attempted to cut. Mahmudullah was then trapped leg-before for a second-ball duck.Bangladesh’s batting difficulties made it easy to forget how well Jayed and Mehidy had bowled in the morning session. Shimron Hetmyer, through his second Test fifty, showed glimpses of a classy left-hander willing to find gaps in the off-side ring. But on the second morning, there was no solidity of Kraigg Brathwaite at the other end, with whom he had shared a 109-run stand on the first day. Jayed removed him for the addition of only two runs to his overnight 84. Roston Chase followed soon, continuing his difficult year in Test cricket, as Jayed trapped him leg-before for 20.Mehidy removed Paul and Cummins to complete his five-for, but some lusty hitting in a last-wicket stand of 35 helped the hosts stretch past 350.

The former allrounder has worked with the team in the past after his retirement and has also coached many of New Zealand’s elite women cricketers

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2018New Zealand women have roped in former allrounder Jacob Oram as their bowling coach. Oram has accepted an 18-month contract, which will see him join the team for incoming and outgoing tours as well as training camps.Oram has worked with the team in the past after his retirement and has also coached many of New Zealand’s elite women cricketers.”I’m really excited to come on board with the White Ferns and join Haidee Tiffen’s coaching team,” Oram said. “There’s an immense amount of talent and potential in the team and I’m looking forward to working with the bowlers in particular, and seeing what improvements we can make.”Oram represented New Zealand from 2001 to 2012 and played in 229 international matches. He was one of the three shortlisted candidates for the interview and head coach Tiffen said he was appointed because of his experience with some of the present players.”Jake’s a great guy and builds strong relationships,” she said. “We’ve seen what he can do through his work with Hannah Rowe at the Central Hinds and we’re looking forward to having him with us on a full-time touring basis.”Matthew Bell, the side’s batting coach, has extended his contract until the middle of next year.”Matt’s been working with the White Ferns since 2014 and always brings great energy and knowledge to the group,” Tiffen said. “I know the batting group, especially, will be excited to see him stay on in his role.”The team currently holds a 1-0 lead in the home ODI series against West Indies in the latest round of the Women’s Championship. They are also expected to tour England later this year before the World T20 in November.”I’m really keen to spend some time with the players in camp and get an idea of how we can all improve,” Oram said. “To go to any world tournament is a real buzz and I think it will be just as exciting as a coach.”

The ICC has set October 1-3 for the hearing on the PCB’s dispute with the BCCI, and the decision of the panel will be final

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2018The BCCI and the PCB’s dispute over two unplayed bilateral series moved a step forward after the ICC constituted a three-person dispute panel four months after Pakistan decided to take the legal route in pursuit of its resolution. The hearings will take place in Dubai from October 1-3 and the decision of the panel will be final.”The International Cricket Council today confirmed that the Hon Michael Beloff QC will chair the Dispute Panel in the matter of proceedings between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India,” the ICC said in a statement. “The other two members of the panel, which has been established under the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, are Mr Jan Paulsson and Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AO, SC. The hearing will take place in Dubai from 1-3 October and, as per Article 10.4 of the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, the decision of the Dispute Panel shall be non-appealable and shall remain the full and final decision in relation to the matter and binding on all parties.”The PCB claims up to $70million worth lost revenue from failure of the BCCI to play two series – in November 2014 and December 2015 – which were agreed by the boards in April 2014. Both series were officially slotted into the ICC’s Future Tour Programme (FTP) with Pakistan as host. However, amid a deteriorating political situation, the BCCI refused to honour that agreement.The PCB, saying they had no option left, sent a notice of dispute to the ICC. Under the watch of the ICC, both boards met on a number of occasions to try and reach a resolution in good faith, to no avail.In a final motion, a three-person dispute panel headed by Beloff with Paulsson (Pakistan representation) and Bennett (Indian representation) will have a three-day hearing at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. Beloff, incidentally, was head of the ICC tribunal which banned Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for spot-fixing in 2011. The proceedings are likely to be conducted in private.”Unless the parties agree to settle their dispute in the meantime, the Dispute Panel shall decide the outcome of the case following deliberation in private,” read the terms of reference. “They shall endeavour to reach a unanimous decision, but a majority decision shall suffice. No member of the Dispute Panel may abstain from voting on the outcome of any dispute, but any member may record a dissenting opinion which may be attached to the majority decision with the permission of the Chairperson of the Dispute Panel. “The bone of contention is the original agreement between the two sides in 2014, which is expected to be a central pillar in the PCB’s arguments. It had agreed on both sides playing six series between December 2015 and November-December 2022, and also an effort to play a short limited-overs series in Pakistan (or a neutral venue) in November 2014. But amid tense relations between the two governments, any chance of a resumption in bilateral ties had always looked distant. And that has been the BCCI’s core claim all along – that it does not have government permission to play Pakistan.India and Pakistan have not played a full series since the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, which India blamed on militants based in Pakistan. Pakistan visited India for a short limited-overs series in December 2012, but that did not do enough to thaw the frosty relationship.

Duanne Olivier roused Derbyshire’s spirits after their Royal London Cup trouncing in the East Midlands derby

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2018
ScorecardDerbyshire hold a 79-run lead after 18 wickets fell on day one of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two match against Durham at Emirates Riverside.Duanne Olivier produced a fine performance with the ball to bowl the home side out for 96. The 26-year-old claimed figures of 5-20 to put Derbyshire on the front foot. Durham responded as Chris Rushworth, Nathan Rimmington, Josh Coughlin and Matt Salisbury all claimed two wickets apiece, but they could not stop the visitors edging day one, ending the final session 175 for 8.Olivier said of his first Derbyshire five-wicket haul: “I was very excited that I contributed towards the team. Obviously the wicket was a bit bowler friendly, but we put ourselves in a good position to win the game. We could see there was a lot of grass on the wicket. So the key was just to keep it as a simple as possible and bowl it in the right areas. That’s what happened for us.”Other wickets before were good grafting wickets. I think as a bowling unit over the course of the previous games we put in the hard work. In this game it’s paid off. An 80-run lead is like a 150-200-run lead on this wicket.”The home side were inserted in overcast conditions and the Derbyshire seamers were able to capitalise. Olivier made the initial breakthrough as he removed stand-in skipper Cameron Steel for one. Tom Latham did not last long at the other end as fell lbw to Hardus Viljoen, while Michael Jones and Will Smith were next to depart, leaving the north-east outfit 26-4.Graham Clark and Gareth Harte offered resistance to guide their side past fifty, but both batsmen fell just before the lunch as Alfie Gleadall claimed his maiden first-class wicket to remove Harte, with Tony Palladino dismissing Clark for 19. Derbyshire’s onslaught continued after the break as Olivier returned to the attack. The South African notched his five-wicket haul, sending Ryan Davies, Rimmington and Salisbury back to the pavilion. Viljoen ended the Durham innings by bowling Coughlin, ending with figures of 3-20.Rushworth struck back immediately for the home side, bowling Billy Godleman for two. However, Ben Slater and Wayne Madsen settled into a rhythm and saw the shine off the new ball to make inroads into the home side’s total. Slater was looking composed, but then played a loose hook shot off Rimmington and was caught behind by Davies.Salisbury got into the action after the tea break from the Finchale End. He notched his first wicket for Durham as he broke through Alex Hughes’ defences to bowl the batsman for four. Rushworth managed to find enough movement off the wicket to pin Madsen in front of his stumps for 36.Matt Critchley looked in good touch at the crease and Durham spurned a glorious opportunity when he was dropped on 24 by Latham. Salisbury was the unfortunate bowler, but Latham atoned for his error by snagging Callum Brodrick two balls later at second slip. The New Zealander was alert in the slip cordon once again to dismiss Daryn Smith as Rimmington notched his second scalp.Josh Coughlin claimed his County Championship wicket as he stopped Critchley’s progress for 38. He did not have long to wait for his second as a full delivery was too good for Viljoen. Palladino added important runs late in the day in a partnership with Gleadall to take the visitors’ lead to 79 at the close.

The bidding for the TV and digital rights to Indian cricket from 2018 to 2023 has already passed the winning bid for the previous cycle by over 15%, and the bidding hasn’t ended yet

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai03-Apr-20181:19

Indian cricket’s rags-to-riches broadcast rights story

The bidding for the television and digital rights to broadcast Indian cricket from 2018 to 2023 has already passed the winning bid for the previous cycle by over 15%, and the e-auction has spilled into a second day to resume at 11am on Wednesday.The top bid in the e-auction stands at INR 4442 crores (USD 680 million approx.) in the Global Consolidated Rights (GCR) category, which comprises the worldwide television and digital rights to international cricket hosted by the BCCI in India.Once the bidding began at 2pm IST on Tuesday, the BCCI tweeted an update with an initial top bid of INR 4176 crore for the GCR category; subsequent higher bids were INR 4201.20 cr, INR 4244 cr, INR 4303 cr, INR 4328.25 cr and INR 4442 cr.After every bid, participants got an hour to raise, which made the e-auction a two-day affair because proceedings could not go beyond 6pm IST on Tuesday. The bidding process will continue until the participants notify that they do not wish to bid higher.The bidders were narrowed down from six to three – Sony Pictures Network India, Star India and Reliance – after the BCCI’s legal team carried out technical and feasibility checks before the e-auction began on Tuesday.There were three categories of rights on sale: the Indian television rights and rest of the world digital rights (GTVRD), digital rights for the Indian subcontinent alone (ID), and the global consolidated rights (GCR) comprising worldwide TV and digital rights.The successful bidder will get to telecast 102 men’s international matches over the five-year period compared to 96 in the previous six-year cycle from 2012 to 2018. The 102 matches will be split among the home seasons as follows: 18 in 2018-19, 26 in 2019-20, 14 in 2020-21, 23 in 2021-22 and 21 in 2022-23. The rights will also include men’s domestic matches as well as the India women’s international matches.
As per the latest break-up of the season-wise bid released by the BCCI, the third bid amount of the day of INR 4244 saw the highest per match bid of INR 43 cr for the 2018-19 season, followed by INR 42.50 cr each for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, and INR 40 cr each for the remaining two seasons, 2019-20 and 2020-21. According to a BCCI official, the figures for the last two seasons of the cycle – 2021-22 and 2022-23 – for the final bid of the day could have reached close to INR 47 cr per match to keep the inflation factor in mind.For the last bid made on Tuesday, of INR 4442 cr for 102 matches across five seasons, the average figure per match amounts to INR 43.5 cr which is 8.5% above the previous cycle’s per match average of INR 40.1 cr. The BCCI official expected this per match average to go up to around INR 60-65 cr by the time the bid ends, which would take the total bid amount into the range of INR 6100-6600 cr. That would mean a rise of at least 13% for the per match average and at least 58% when compared with the total amount of INR 3851 cr for the previous cycle.In 2012, Star TV, then owned by Rupert Murdoch, had won the rights to broadcast Indian cricket until 2018. That deal, which also included internet and mobile rights, was valued at INR 3851 cr (approximately USD 750 million at the time). The other bidder that year – at INR 3700 cr (USD 727 million at the time) – was Multi-Screen Media (Sony).The sale of these rights will mean a second huge payday for the BCCI in less than a year. In September 2017, the BCCI had sold the worldwide IPL television and digital rights for the period 2018-22 for INR 16,347.5 cr (US$ 2.55 billion) to Star India.