BCCI warns ICC over threats of shifting 2023 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the BCCI have been at the loggerheads over the tax issues since the 2016 World T20I held in India. The governing body of the game had suffered a revenue shortfall after the Indian government refused to exempt the competition from tax. Since then, the Indian government has remained firm on its stance. The BCCI has tried its best to persuade it but so far their efforts haven’t yielded the best results.

However, the ICC is also not ready to accept the revenue loss. It recently asked the Indian board to cough up US $23m (roughly Rs 160 cr) before December 31 to compensate for the tax deductions incurred in hosting the last World T20. The ICC is hopeful of getting compensation from the BCCI after not getting the tax exemption from the Indian government two years ago. 

Star TV, the official broadcast rights holder of all ICC tournaments, had deducted all taxes before paying the World governing body for the competition. The apex body now wants the Indian board to compensate for it. The ICC had pointed out its demand in the minutes of its board meeting in Singapore in October.

The apex body of the game has also warned the BCCI of dire consequence if the latter fails to compensate them. In case they fail to meet the demand, the ICC has warned it will deduct that amount from India’s revenue share for the current financial year. Not only that, the ICC has also warned that it will have to think of other options for conducting the 2021 Champions Trophy and 2023 World Cup if the BCCI does not compensate it. Both the tournaments are scheduled to be held in India.

BCCI hits back

The BCCI, on its part, is in no mood to bow down to ICC’s demands and has hit back.  In a strongly worded letter to the ICC, it has stated that any move to shift the Champions Trophy and the 2023 World Cup out of India is not in the best interest of world cricket in general and Indian cricket in particular, Bangalore Mirror reported. “The BCCI will view any such move seriously,” the BCCI letter, sent to the ICC recently, states.

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