Deccan Chargers threaten to pull out of IPL

Hyderabad team Deccan Chargers, on Monday, served a legal notice to the IPL, asking that the decision to move matches out of Hyderabad be reversed, reports HT Correspondent.

Hyderabad team Deccan Chargers are on a collision course with the IPL. On Monday the team served a legal notice to the IPL, asking that the decision to move matches out of Hyderabad be reversed. If the IPL failed to do so the Chargers “will have no option but to seek legal recourse" and "be justified in withdrawing from IPL Season-III without prejudice.”

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The IPL earlier moved seven matches from Hyderabad to Mumbai and Ahmedabad on account of unrest in Andhra Pradesh.

In their seven-page missive, Chargers’ lawyers Little & Co claimed that the decision to shift the matches had been taken "arbitrarily, unilaterally, and in breach of the Franchise Agreement dated April 10, 2008.”

The notice charged that the decision was against public interest "Your action is also contrary to the spirit of the game, the objective of the League, the concept of having franchisees from different regions.”

The notice points to clauses that define a "home" ground and the protection offered to these venues.

The Chargers also say that the decision to move the opening ceremony out of Hyderabad was agreed to on a special basis on a request from the IPL. "This consent was given on the basis that the remaining four matches were to be played at Hyderabad and two matches to be played at Vizag.

The notice draws attention to the fact that games transferred to Maharashtra also run the risk of being disrupted, following threats from the Shiv Sena and other groups.