The first match between IPL sides to be staged in England has been called off because of a lack of television coverage. Manoj Badale, one of the backers of Twenty20 cricket in India, planned to bring Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders to the Brit Oval on July 15 and 16. Sky, however, is covering NatWest Pro40 matches on both days and the ECB’s contract with the broadcaster prohibits companies from televising the charity event.

Players including Shane Warne and Shane Watson were lined up and would have attracted a bigger crowd than at either of the Pro40 matches at Worcester and Chelmsford, but the ECB’s contract with Sky is such that it could not drop coverage of these matches for a more glitzy event. Nor could the cricket at the Oval be screened by ESPN Star Sports, the Asian broadcaster, which through the ECB has the rights to show Pro40 cricket in India.

Badale would not comment on whether this was an attempt to bring the IPL to England but, for Surrey, it was an opportunity to raise money for the Prince’s Charities and Chance to Shine. “We have an arrangement with the ECB to run charity matches and part of our mission is to fill up the Oval,” Paul Sheldon, the Surrey chief executive, said. “We have tried very hard to put the match on and are disappointed that there is no prospect of broadcasting rights, but we quite understand the contractual situation between the ECB and Sky.”