BCCI will lose Rs 3,000 crore -PIL

BCCI will lose Rs 3,000 crore due to Manohar's share cut offer, says PIL

Chennai, by A Subramani • Last updated on Tuesday, 19 April, 2016, 06:51 AM

BCCI would end up losing another Rs 2,000 crore due to the controversial, and unilateral, financial reorganisation offer of BCCI president Shashank Manohar. © AFP

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is entitled to 21% of gross revenue of International Cricket Council (ICC) for the broadcast cycle of 2015-2023, will end up receiving at least Rs 1,000 crore less due to BCCI chief Shashank Manohar's unilateral offer to take 6% cut in revenue sharing model, a PIL in Madras high court has said.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice S Vaidyanathan, clearly not inclined to entertain the PIL and pass any interim orders on Monday, however, gave the petitioner's senior counsel time till Wednesday to get instructions on withdrawing the PIL.

Calling it as "nothing short of a scam," the PIL, filed by former CBI director R K Raghavan and eight others, said during the next broadcast cycle of 2023-2031, BCCI would end up losing another Rs 2,000 crore due to the controversial, and unilateral, financial reorganisation offer of BCCI president Shashank Manohar.

With Indian market contributing more than 80% of the revenue generated by world cricket, and Indian sponsors contributing almost the whole of sponsorship revenue, there were compelling reasons to rework the sharing of ICC revenue. It was under these circumstances, did the 10 full members, who are Test cricket playing nations, of the ICC agree in February 2014 to pay a percentage of ICC revenue to BCCI. It was also decided that BCCI would be entitled to 21% of gross revenue of ICC for the 2015-2023 cycle.

While so, the present BCCI chief obtained a general body approval to 'negotiate downward revision' of BCCI's revenue from the ICC. Expressing shock at the decision, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) first wrote to the BCCI complaining that the mandate given by the BCCI to its chief would result in a loss of Rs 3,000 crore to BCCI till 2031.