New Delhi: Tax exemptions for future global events, broadcasting rights for the World Test Championship and capping participation in private T20 leagues will be among the top issues that will come up for discussion when International Cricket Council meets at its quarterly meeting starting Wednesday.
Apart from those, there will hosts of other meetings lined up beginning with the ICC Chief Executives Committee (CEC) meeting, where India will be represented by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, and ending with the board meeting where acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary will be the country’s face.
Here are some of the key issues that will come up for discussion..
1) Tax Exemption Impasse
One of the key issues will be tax exemption sought by the ICC for the future global events in India like the 2021 Champions Trophy and the 2023 World Cup. However, as per present rules, it is highly unlikely that the ICC will get any exemption and the deadlock is expected to continue, a BCCI official said.
“ICC wants tax exemption as they want to spend that money for development of the game in new areas. They need an exemption on excise duties, primarily for importing production equipment,” a senior BCCI official privy to ICC working, told this agency on conditions of anonymity.
2) Broadcast issues related to the World Test Championship
The broadcast modalities for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship could be completely different from the usual events like World T20 and the ODI World Cup organised by the global body.
“Right now, ICC is the organiser of just one game and that is the World Test Championship final. All other matches are part of bilateral series and each country has its own official broadcaster. This is one issue that ICC will need to resolve,” a senior BCCI official said.
3) Cap on players’ representation in Private Leagues
The ICC, in all likelihood, will put a cap on international players plying their trade in various private franchise after having done an internal survey which found out that less than five per cent players ply their trades in two or more leagues.
It is expected that West Indies players will be affected the most as most of their top players freelance across the globe. “There will also be discussion as to how many maximum overseas players should be allowed in one private league.
4) Cricket in Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
Talks will continue on making T20 cricket a part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics but as of now, the ICC’s biggest impediment is India. The BCCI is not a registered National Sports Federation (NSF) under the Indian Olympic Association and it also doesn’t take government grants. The BCCI’s refusal to come under the IOA ambit is partly because of their reluctance to come under Right To Information (RTI) act.
