Production company Trans World International, a subsidiary of sports management major IMG (International Management Group), has been awarded the contract for production of cricket matches between India and Pakistan.

This was disclosed by Ranbir Singh Mahendra, president of the Board for Control of Cricket in India, at a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.

"An emergency meeting of the working committee of the BCCI was held on Tuesday morning to discuss the modalities pertaining to television rights during the Pakistan team's tour of India," Mahendra said. "After evaluating the offers received by the Board for the television production of the series, it unanimously decided to grant the production rights to Trans World International."

TWI produced and telecasted cricket matches in India from 1993 to 1999.

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The BCCI will pay $1.5 million to TWI for production costs.

"We are still negotiating and hope to bring down this figure further," Mahendra said.

The Board did not agree with Prasar Bharti's interpretation that the Madras high court has granted the organisation terrestrial and satellite rights for telecasting the matches for the current series.

"In the matter of Prasar Bharti's interpretation of the order of the honourable Madras high court with regard to the Indian terrestrial and satellite rights, the working committee did not agree with Prasar Bharti's views. It was decided that the president of BCCI be authorised to discuss the matter further with Prasar Bharti with the assistance of the Board's lawyers," he said.

Mahendra asked the media not to highlight the issue of an invitation to the Dalai Lama [Images] for the three-day match at Dharmshala in the interest of the series and cordial relations between India and Pakistan.

"The invitation was not extended by the Board but by a local organisation," he said. "Please do not rake up this issue."

Neither Mahendra nor Board Secretary S K Nair were willing to discuss the amount of money the BCCI would make by selling various rights to different organisations.

"The time is short and we are running against time," was all Nair was willing to say.