Conflict over ICC and BCCI on budget allocation

The conflict between Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and International Cricket Council (ICC) continues, despite a former BCCI president, Shashank Manohar heading the world body.

The current conflict was about the budget allocation for major ICC events. As per the reports suggest, BCCI president Anurag Thakur has asked for the details of some tournaments of the recent past and immediate future – Champions Trophy (2017), women’s World Cup (2017) and the World Cup in 2019.

All these three tournaments are to be hosted by England. It is meant that the expenses incurred by other boards are much higher than the expense when these tournaments are hosted in India.

Considering the World Cup 2011 , which was hosted in the sub-continent was conducted with a budget of $120 million, whereas the budget for 2015 World Cup hosted in Australia and New Zealand was $180 million, and there were talks that the 2015 World Cup had exceeded the budget allocation.

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The World T20 2016 hosted earlier this year in India got an allocation of $45 million and the BCCI conducted it for $42 million. The tournament saw 35 men’s and 23 women’s games in India. Thakur has raised the issue and asked why a higher budget is allocated for those tournaments.

“Expenses differ from country to country and time to time,” said an ICC source.

“The staff of the BCCI and its state units was used freely for the events in India while in other countries the ICC is having to pay heavily for the administrative expenses. The Australia and New Zealand board had paid hefty salaries for close to 18 months something the ECB is currently doing as well. We would like to ask why the services of local cricket staff are not being used,” said an important BCCI member who was instrumental in holding an ICC event.

A formal meeting might take part in the next ICC meeting which will be held in October in Mumbai.