The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) strongly feels that the International Cricket Council (ICC), led by its chairman Shashank Manohar, is being deliberately “obdurate” on the contentious tax issue that has been a matter of dispute for long between the two parties.
That, along with various leaks in the media regarding the fate of the T20 World Cup in Australia, had forced the ICC to initiate an “independent investigation” and defer its board meeting on May 28.
The tax issue is sure to dominate the proceedings when the board meets again on Wednesday via teleconference and could lead to another round of debate between Sourav Ganguly, who will represent the BCCI, and the other members.
A dispute arising out of tax liabilities during the 2016 World T20 in India, amounting to $23.7m, is already pending before the ICC disputes resolution committee.
“The ICC has said that there cannot be an extension of the deadline for tax solutions. The BCCI replied requesting for an extension citing the lockdown and pandemic, which the ICC has refused.
“But you cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening around you and approach the government on cricketing matters now... There has to be some sense behind what you do. The BCCI has already made it clear that they will take up the matter with the authorities at the appropriate time,” someone in the know of things told The Telegraph.
“The succession plan is already in place for Manohar, who has made it clear he won’t seek a third term. Then why is he showing so much interest in matters pertaining to the BCCI? Has it got to do with something personal?”
Manohar had turned down the ‘Big 3 revenue-sharing formula’ devised by his predecessor N. Srinivasan, whereby the bulk of the ICC’s revenue was shared by India, Australia and England. That was a move that was not backed by the powers-that-be in the BCCI.
Sources in the know believe that Manohar is using the tax shield to take the 2021 T20 World Cup away from India. With Cricket Australia saying they are not keen to organise the T20 World Cup this year, there’s still uncertainty over the 2021 host.
“The BCCI has strongly objected to ICC’s reported move to host the 2021 T20 World Cup in Australia after the broadcasters made it clear that they were not keen to host two tournaments in the same year — one in February-March and another in October-November,” sources said.
Moreover, according to ICC’s agreement with the broadcasters, two tournaments must be held in India during the current Future Tours Programme (2018-2023).
“The ICC cannot act according to its whims and threaten to take the tournaments away. With BCCI sticking to its rights on hosting the 2021 T20 World Cup, it is unlikely that a decision will be arrived at on Wednesday on postponing the edition in Australia.”
“The economics of cricket assume great significance at this hour. ICC should keep in mind the fact that India are a powerhouse in generating revenue from cricket,” sources said.
The ICC is also expected to formalise the procedure for the election of its next chairman at the meeting. While there is talk surrounding Sourav, England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves is being seen as the favourite to succeed Manohar.
