Top bidder withdraws from Mumbai T20 league

Several states have their own set of T20 tournaments with Karnataka Premier League and Tamil Nadu Premier League being some of them. Meanwhile, Mumbai is set to become the newest entrant as they are scheduled to host the inaugural season of the Mumbai T20 league from March 11 to 21. The tournament, inaugurated by Sachin Tendulkar, will be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.

However, the event has suffered a body blow ahead of its first season as one of their top bidders has opted out of the league due to anonymous reasons. Shree Naman Developers, a real-estate company, bagged the North India franchise for a whopping six scores. Nevertheless, the organization shot an e-mail to the Mumbai Cricket Association regarding their withdrawal from the league.

The sudden decision

“We have received their (Shree Naman Developers) email stating that they do not wish to go ahead with the T20 league. They haven’t provided any reason for their disassociation. We will now have to float a new tender to replace the team,” an official of the MCA was quoted as saying by Mid-day.

The association finds themselves in a precarious position as they either have to find a new bidder who can match the withdrawn bidder or start a fresh bidding altogether. However, despite the major blow, the MCA official sounded confident about the hassle-free hosting of the league and iterated about their plans for the auction.

“It may be postponed by two or three days. That’s because we have to give the new owner time to understand the concept. The league will take place, there is no doubt about it,” the official added. Over 1700 players have registered for the event and 200 coaches and support staff have shown their keenness to be a part of the T20 league. Also, the star players like Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma are expected to feature in the league.

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