The Board of Control for Cricket India’s (BCCI’s) Annual General Meeting (AGM) has, in principle, approved the proposal to add two new teams to the Indian Premier League (IPL) fold, asking the IPL Governing Council to work out the modalities.
It means that, in all likelihood, the IPL will expand into a 10-team affair in 2022, with a rejigged format and increased number of teams. The AGM in Ahmedabad, on Thursday, passed the proposal in unison and left it to the experts to decide.
The governing council and the IPL executives will now have to factor in financial and logistical factors, besides also considering the additional window required for the increased number of games.
The additional time will mean that the BCCI is unlikely to compromise on the base price of two new teams. At least four corporate giants are understood to be keen on vying for owning a team.
Decision on Olympics
Another key point on the agenda, to decide BCCI’s stand on participation in the 2028 Olympics, was deferred since the members sought clarity on various issues. The key issues were financial impact of tweaking bilateral commitments, affiliation to the Indian Olympic Association and the anti-doping clauses that cricketers will have to adhere to.
The members were told that the office-bearers will provide further clarity during the SGM, which could be convened late in January.
T20 WC tax issue
The AGM is understood to have resolved that even if the central government declines tax exemption for hosting the T20 World Cup in 2021, the BCCI will not forego its right to host the tournament. Should it be required, the BCCI will bear the tax liability of approximately ₹300 crore from its share from the International Cricket Council (ICC) subvention instead of getting into a dispute with the governing body.
Golden silence
As expected, the AGM didn’t touch upon president Sourav Ganguly alleged unethical conduct of endorsing products that are direct competitors of BCCI sponsors. It is understood that a couple of senior members broached the topic with Ganguly before the meeting and have left it to him to act suitably.
Since the audited accounts for 2018-19 and 2019-20 were presented to the members less than 24 hours before the meeting, the accounts were not ratified and instead kept pending for the SGM.
The members were informed that the BCCI will continue to disburse lump sum advances and reconcile the accounts once the statements are ratified.