Reports: BCCI threatens to break away from ICC if hosting rights are taken away

A lot has been speculated over the plan of International Cricket Council to take away hosting rights of Champions Trophy in 2021 and World Cup in 2023. The reason for the same is the Indian Government’s continued resistance over giving ICC a tax exemption. However, BCCI has warned the apex body now about invoking the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) as the threat of losing the rights of ICC events looms large.

India were awarded the hosting rights of ICC Champions Trophy and World Cup in 2021 and 2023 recently. But the concerns were raised by ICC officials when the Indian Government denied offering tax exemption despite continued efforts from both BCCI and the apex body of cricket. Meanwhile, there were also reports that Pakistan had offered to ICC to host the Mini-World Cup (as they as) and also cleared that their government would provide the required tax exemption for the event.

It will lead to a disaster

According to the reports in Times of India, India will pull out of all the agreements in case ICC takes the hosting rights away from them. “Should the ICC use tax exemptions from Indian government as an excuse to make up for their own losses and propose the shifting of tournaments, it will lead to a disaster. India will pull out of all agreements,” the sources close to the developments on the matter said.

The Indian board has informed that the ICC is expecting them to initiate the talks with the Government despite Shashank Manohar being at the helm. “This is a joke, unless, there are individuals doing this to protect their own chairs after projecting financial surpluses that now cannot be justified,” the sources added.

The relationship between ICC and BCCI is already hanging by the thread after the controversy regarding the financial model last year. Moreover, in the worst case scenario, things could get ugly between both the parties. A possibility has popped up now that ICC is looking for an alternate venue for the marquee events compensate for their own losses of US$100m.

“This time, the BCCI will not flinch in invoking its rights through the MPA. India’s losses in those newly proposed ICC revenues don’t mean a thing. The proposed loss is not even enough to make up for what the BCCI earns through a single bilateral or two (Star pays Rs 43 crore per match according to the present contract and the renewed one is expected to fetch more in the new bidding). To make up for the rest of the world, you can’t take a tournament of this magnitude away from India,” the source concluded while speaking on the issue.

Keep following CricTracker for more news and updates.