Face the truth – the BCCI is considered one of the most arrogant and spoilt organisations in world cricket. It has been too used to arm-twisting tactics and issuing threats to get what it wants.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) now stands on the horns of a dilemma. The latest International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting In Dubai has cut India’s share in the new financial model from $530 million to $293m with an additional $100m more to compensate for losses.
The BCCI has registered its unhappiness at the ICC move. They are yet to name the team for the Champions Trophy starting in June, the deadline for which has passed.Unfortunately, the BCCI was too used to the earlier Big Three model which saw India, along with England and Australia, dominate financial matters.
However, the BCCI was outvoted at the ICC meeting and a new financial model was put in place.The snub seems to rankle and there are murmurs that the Indian team will not participate at all in the Champions Trophy tournament in England this June.
The BCCI was planning to revoke the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) as a knee-jerk reaction to withdraw from the Champions trophy, but better sense has prevailed for the time being.
The Special General Meeting (SGM) of the BCCI called this Sunday will take a final call on the issue.
If India does revoke the MPA, then it cannot host tournaments in the entire ICC cricket cycle until 2023. The BCCI is banking on the fact that India is the number one money spinner among all cricketing nations.
If they do pull out of the Champions Trophy then the England board will lose revenue as there are many Indians living in the UK. There are many within the BCCI even now who think blackmailing is the best tactic as world cricket cannot do with India.
They have done it over the years and have got used to it. Simple things like the Decision Review System (DRS) have been long opposed on technicalities which were silly. India often was at the receiving end of bad decisions. Everything was weighed in terms of money by the greedy BCCI in the past. Ultimately the Supreme Court cracked down on the corrupt body and appointed an administrator to supervise it.
This is shameful. But many among the BCCI are too thick-skinned to face realities. They have lost face and reputation.
The BCCI was outvoted 13-1 by other members of the new financial model at the ICC meeting. That itself tells a story. Instead of opposing everything, the BCCI must compromise on some things to promote cricket all over the world. As the richest body in the game, it needs to win goodwill by helping promote lesser teams. By offering token matches, like a one-off Test against Bangladesh is not in the interest of cricket itself.
The Sunday meeting is crucial for India’s cricket future. Forget egos, money and play with a straight bat. The world needs India and India needs the world.
The views expressed in this column are the Author’s
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