India State Boards fret over lack of funds to host international matches

With the top-brass of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ousted from their positions, the State Bodies are in a bit of a turmoil at the moment. With the grants and the payments from the BCCI stemmed for a bit following the ongoing case with the Supreme Court at the time. With the Lodha Committee also tightening their leash on the BCCI, it seems quite clear that the funds the Boards have at the moment are not going to last forever.

A CAB official went n to state that the funds are given by the BCCI to the board for running the domestic games as well. “Cricket is our priority and we will ensure the match is held to the best of our ability. But the point is that the funds are drying up. More importantly, the funds given to us by the BCCI is for running the game in the domestic circuit and for infrastructural expenses of the CAB.” News18 quoted.

“A one-off situation is fine where we host a game and the BCCI pays us later. But in the current scenario, we are yet to be paid the dues for the Test between India and New Zealand. The funds are now drying up and things need to be sorted soon,” he said.

“See, we are all working towards successfully hosting the limited overs series, but the fact remains that funds need to be disbursed at the earliest. We are yet to get payment for hosting the first Test of the series between India and New Zealand.

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An Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association official also went on to state that stopping regular payments would lead to serious issues, to say the least. “Stopping of grants is one thing, but to stop regular payments will obviously lead to issues. We need to understand that the logistical expenditures need to be taken care of by the board,” he said.

“We have started preparations and we are confident of hosting a successful game. Yes, financial assistance is an issue in the current scenario, but we will do the necessary payments as of now and hope that we get the money from BCCI soon,” he told CricketNext.