FTP, playing days per year top BCCI’s SGM menu

BCCI CEO Rahul Johri will apprise the members of what transpired at the recently concluded ICC workshop on FTP in Singapore. (Source: AP)

The Indian team’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), and the number of matchdays for them annually, will be the focal point of the BCCI SGM in Delhi on Monday. The BCCI CEO Rahul Johri will apprise the members of what transpired at the recently concluded ICC workshop on FTP in Singapore. The new FTPs are being scheduled with an eye to proposed nine-team Test championship from 2019. The BCCI will reserve October-November and February-March for home series.

As per the new Test structure, every team will play any six countries, home or away, over two years. The current FTP gives India one-and-a-half years at home and one-and-a-half years away. Overseas tours don’t bring revenue to the BCCI, with media rights being linked to the home series only. Between September 22, 2016 and November 7 this year, they had 117 days of scheduled international cricket and the cricket board’s revenue peaked. Then again, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) is mulling on limiting the number of matchdays to a maximum 90 per year following complaints from Virat Kohli . But a section of the BCCI not favouring matchdays reduction.

“Obviously, the FTP will translate into the number of matchdays for the Indian team. We will discuss the number of matches projected per year. The concern of the team, captain and team management would be kept in mind. Then again, if you reduce the number of matches, how do you get more money? Every player is free to take rest if he feels fatigue. These are the issues we need to discuss,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express.

The broadcast-rights contract binds the BCCI to play a certain number of matches per year. If the number of matchdays is less, revenue will come down accordingly. And a state association president raised the point. “All your wealth today is because of the media/broadcast rights. So by limiting that number, you are also limiting the income. And on the contrary, if somebody needs rest, then you can rotate so that everybody gets the opportunity, while the players are not tired also. These are not the only 11 players. There are others to replace them. You can rotate by including your top five players also to honour media rights agreement,” a state association president told this paper.

The CoA, too, is working on the number of matchdays and players’ salary hike- not an item on tomorrow’s SGM agenda- and although the general body holds the right to take a call on the subjects, the CoA has the option to directly seek approval from the court.

The SGM is set to revoke the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s suspension now that Lalit Modi has resigned and the state association is helmed by CP Joshi. But the reprieve might come with a rider that Modi must never be allowed to re-enter RCA.

The NADA issue

The BCCI has already rejected the National Anti-Doping Agency approach to bring it under its jurisdiction. The cricket board members are unanimous on the issue. “We are affiliated to the ICC, which is the World Anti-Doping Agency compliant. So we are already under the surveillance of the global body. NADA is also a WADA affiliate,” said a cricket board member.

Kochi Tuskers have won the arbitration against the BCCI over their termination from the IPL, with the RC Lahoti-headed panel directing the cricket board to pay Rs 550 crore as compensation, and 18 per cent annual penalty on failing to do so. “We have to take a very conscious view on this. The BCCI filed an application (appeal) under the Arbitration Act in 2015, which is pending. And although there’s a team working on settlement, when the amount is of this magnitude, we must exhaust all legal options,” said the board member.