The ZEE Group (ZEE Entertainment Enterprises) is set to drop all the pending legal cases against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The legal tussle between the two dates back to 2005, when ZEE filed a case against BCCI in the Madras High Court for causing them the losses. Things didn’t stop there, and the two sides were involved in more legal battles between 2005 and 2007 in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court of India. Now, reportedly, ZEE will drop all the pending cases against the richest cricket board in the world. IPL Media Rights: Amazon, Disney, Sony, Zee and TV18-Viacom Show Interest; Apple Likely to Follow.

While two were already witnessing legal battles, ZEE launched its T20 league- now-defunct- Indian Cricket League (ICL). The move forced BCCI to launch the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is now into its 15th season and growing strongly. As per a report in the Times of India (TOI), the legal battle is finally going to see an end.

“What’s gone under the bridge is now past. Everybody’s done with it. Individuals who fought those battles too have moved on, in different ways of course. It’s time for a new beginning,” a source was quoted as saying by TOI.

“This is Zee’s initiative and the BCCI, we believe, is welcoming the move,” unmentioned sources in the report added.

Interestingly, BCCI recently released a tender to invite bids for IPL media rights for the next five-year cycle. The cricket board is expected to release a tender for Indian cricket’s bilateral rights later this year as well. Apparently, Zee has bought the Invitation-To-Tender for the IPL rights as well, and the move to drop legal cases against BCCI could well be the first step towards accruing the media rights of BCCI’s hottest property- IPL.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2022 01:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).