Will Broadcasters Sue BCCI if Indian Cricketers Are Rested?

It is an interesting conundrum for television broadcasters as well as the BCCI.

gary kirsten with murali vijay

Indian cricketers are being rested on a regular basis. The tour of Sri Lanka as well as the recent ODI series between India and Australia have seen several Indian cricketers miss the bus through injury and rest in a rather hectic, not to mention hastily crammed Indian cricket calendar.

With the demands being put on the cricketers, and with India at the top of the Test rankings and looking to maintain it even as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 looms large, the BCCI has been forced to bring about a few changes via rested players as a means also to test the bench strength.

While all of these moves may be in the interest of Indian cricket, although that point should have been noted before series and tours were planned, there is going to be one section besides the fans that would be upset by the move.

Let not the crowds fool anyone. Kochi and Goa saw huge crowds turn up despite the possibility of rain washing out the matches because these regions hardly get cricket in their backyard. Their option to then host an international cricket match is slim at best which is why crowds turned up even though six-seven regular Indian cricketers were missing from the line up.

Now with the BCCI set to follow a similar pattern in selection for the India New Zealand series - although laid low by NZ's poor performance against Bangladesh - the broadcasters may up the ante on the board to select the top notch players to ensure they get the eyeballs that justify the revenue they pay to the BCCI for the exclusive television rights.

With the game being commercially driven, the demands will also enter a business zone wherein decisions are not always made on emotion and understanding but rather on turnover and profit over loss. Will the case apply with the broadcasters as well?