Abu Dhabi set to host India-Pakistan games

The Indian government has cleared a two-match ODI series between Indian and Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in April, the BCCI announced today. This will be the first time in nearly eight years that India and Pakistan will play in a bilateral series on a neutral venue.

Addressing a press conference at Mohali, Inderjit Bindra, a member of the BCCI's marketing committee, said that the two matches would be jointly organised by the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The proceeds from the first ODI would go towards earthquake relief in Pakistan, while the profits from the second game would be split between the two boards.

"The series will fall within the 30 one-day internationals a year as recommended by the ICC," said Bindra. "We won't be increasing the number of games. We are just marketing ourselves more aggressively."

Bindra said that the players (both international and domestic) would get a sharp increase in their remuneration, given that the BCCI's annual earnings have increased seven-fold. "When Team Pawar took over, the annual earnings were Rs 200 crore," Bindra pointed out. "It's grown seven-fold, meaning that Rs 150 crore will go to 390 cricketers playing domestic first-class cricket."

Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president, also added that the board had served notices to various mobile phone operators who were offering scores on SMS, demanding a share of revenues. "A case is pending in the Madras High Court. If the mobile providers are charging their customers, we rightfully deserve a share from them since it's essentially our property."

Both Bindra and Modi were united in stating that there was no witchhunt against Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former president of the BCCI. Earlier the BCCI had served a show cause notice on Dalmiya, demanding explanations for alleged financial irregularities.

"It's a simple question of accountability. We want to ensure that the working of the Board becomes totally transparent, and we also put in a foolproof selection process in place," said Bindra.