ICC to look for another hosting country for Champions Trophy 2021?

After the highly successful hosting of WT20 2016 in India, ICC was keen to give the Sub-Continent giants yet another hosting rights for the next edition of Champions Trophy to be conducted in 2021. This was a tempted decision made by the Cricket’s governing body to stage the next Mini World cup in India much due to the popularity of the game and the frenzy among the fans that attracts the investors to host big tournaments such as the Champions Trophy in Cricket driven countries like India.

But it seems that the ICC needs to look towards some alternate host for 2021 due to the not so smooth negotiation between the ICC and the Indian Government over the Tax exemption issues despite BCCI and ICC being in a constant dialogue with the government regarding freeing of taxes for the tournament to be staged in the country.

Non-exemption of Taxes, an issue

This issue of non-exemption of taxes could be a problem of concern for the hosting nation as it could prevent the Men in Blue, the best ambassadors of the game to deny the opportunity to play in their home country. In a statement released by ICC, it said, “The Board expressed their concern around the absence of a tax exemption from the Indian Government for ICC events held in India despite ongoing efforts from both the ICC and BCCI to secure the exemption which is standard practice for major sporting events around the world.”

The Indian Government is not keen on taking a step back knowing how huge the Indian markets are in terms of investing money for such competition but this could certainly backfire as the ICC would now be forced to consider another host for the coveted tournament. “The Board agreed that ICC management, supported by the BCCI will continue the dialogue with the Indian Government but in the meantime directed ICC management to explore alternative host countries in a similar time zone for the ICC Champions Trophy 2021,” it added.

Indian cricket team has always done well in such crisp tournaments, as they reached the finals on both the previous occasions, winning it in 2013 in England. There are still chances that India could persist with the hosting rights for the tournament if the government agrees to negotiate with the cricket’s apex body.