* Karnataka take on Mumbai in Sponsors Trophy opener

Karnataka will take on Mumbai in the opening match of the Sponsors Trophy (previously known as the Wills Trophy) at Mumbai on April 18, next year.

The other two first round matches pit Railways Sports Control Board (RSCB) against Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) at Rajkot on April 18 and Sponsors XI against Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) at Pune on the same day, a Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) release said on Thursday.

Reigning champions Board President's XI, who have got a bye directly to the semi-finals will play either Karnataka or Mumbai in Mumbai on April 21 while the second semi-final between the winners of RSCB vs PCA and Sponsors Eleven vs OCA would be held at Ahmedabad on the same date, the release said. The final will be played at Baroda on April 24.

* BCCI wins legal battle

The Mumbai High Court on Thursday declined to stay the contract awarded by the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) to the International Management Group towards clothing sponsorship for international matches in the next three years. The order was delivered by Justice DK Deshmukh, who dismissed a notice of motion taken out by Gayatri Arts in a suit filed by the company against the Board for awarding the contract to the IMG.

Gayatri Arts claimed it had made the highest bid of Rs 90 crore and the BCCI had issued a letter asking them to confirm the offer which was accepted in a reply sent to the BCCI. The plaintiff claimed that BCCI's letter constituted a concluded contract between the two. The court, however, was of the view that prima facie it could not be said there was a concluded contract between the plaintiff and the BCCI.

On June 13, Justices BN Srikrishna and Nishita Mhatre had disposed of an appeal filed by Sham Dhumatkar, proprietor of Gayatri Arts, challenging the order of Justice Deshmukh who earlier refused to stay the contract to IMG-TWI. The bench had refused to stay the contract awarded to IMG and its subsidiary Transworld International. But the judges gave liberty to the appellant to move a notice of motion for staying the contract before Justice Deshmukh who had earlier rejected a similar plea.

* BCCI tour committee meeting at Jaipur

The Board of Control for Cricket in India tour, programme and fixtures committee meeting will be held at the residence of Kishore Rungta, the Rajasthan Cricket Association secretary and treasurer of the BCCI, in Jaipur on July 7.

The meeting will take a final decision on India's proposed tours to Pakistan (for the Asian Test Championship) and Australia (for the three match indoor series). It will also decide on the venues and dates of the Tests, one day internationals and first class matches for the Zimbabwe tour of this country. Zimbabwe are scheduled to tour India early next year after England completes its tour. It is also learnt that Jaipur will get either a three day game or an ODI against England in November this year

The committee will also have a look at the domestic ca lender. The convener of the committee is the BCCI secretary JY Lele. Other members who will participate in the deliberations include GK Kelkar, Sharad Diwadkar, MP Pandove and Venkat Rao.

* Police file chargesheet against GCA chief, eight others

The Goa police on Thursday filed a chargesheet against the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) president, Dayanand Narvekar and eight others in the court in connection with the `fake' ticket scam under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including criminal conspiracy, police sources said.

The names of GCA secretary Vinod Phadke, former treasurer Rama Shankardas, ticket contractor Chinmay Fallari and his brother Devdutt Fallari, also figure in the chargesheet filed in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao, they said.

Eknath Naik, brother-in-law of GCA president, Gangaram Bishe, Venkatesh Desai and Joaquim Pires were the other four charged under different sections of the IPC, including printing and sale of fake tickets, criminal conspiracy and cheating the public, police sources said, adding, the different IPC sections slapped against them were 461, 465, 468, 471, 201 and 120 (b).

About 200 persons, including those chargesheeted in the case had been interrogated since the police launched investigations about three months back into allegations of printing and sale of fake tickets for the India-Australia One Day International on April 6 last in Goa.

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