ICC Board Meeting: T20 World Cup to be postponed to 2022, October window for IPL- Report | Cricket - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

ICC Board Meeting: T20 World Cup to be postponed to 2022, October window for IPL- Report

New Delhi | ByPress Trust of India
May 27, 2020 12:02 PM IST

“There is a good chance that postponement of World T20 will be decided during Thursday’s board meeting. Whether there will be a formal announcement or not is the question,” said an ICC board member on conditions of anonymity.

The postponement of this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia to 2022, which might open up a window for the lucrative Indian Premier League in October, is expected to be formalised when the International Cricket Council’s all-powerful board holds a tele-conference on Thursday.

ICC T20 World Cup trophies(Twitter)
ICC T20 World Cup trophies(Twitter)

The decision, if it is formalised, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic will give members a chance to chalk out their bilateral blue-print in the coming months.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“There is a good chance that postponement of World T20 will be decided during Thursday’s board meeting. Whether there will be a formal announcement or not is the question,” an ICC board member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Also Read | Saw Tendulkar close his eyes while facing Akhtar: Asif recalls 2006 Karachi Test

“There is very little chance of World T20 going ahead in this situation. I don’t think either Cricket Australia or the top boards will mind,” he added.

PTI had reported on May 15 that ICC’s Events Committee -- led by Chris Tetley -- might present multiple options and one of the options that members are likely to seriously contemplate is shifting the tournament to October-November, 2022 while India hosts its edition in 2021.

It can also be safely concluded that India will be touring Australia at the end of the year as members are likely to give more precedence to bilateral engagements to recover from the financial losses incurred during the pandemic.

Also Read | BCCI will win; they’ll get their way if they want to: Chappell on IPL replacing T20 World Cup

The board member also said that it’s not only about the countries but also about broadcasters Star Sports, which incidentally holds rights for both the ICC events as well as BCCI’s ‘India Cricket’ rights and the IPL rights.

“There are a few questions that need to be asked. The commercial viability of having a T20 World Cup in February-March 2021. Before that, an IPL in October-November window and another IPL in the March-May window,” a BCCI insider privy to the broadcast deals said.

“So we are looking at three big-ticket tournaments in six months. In this current economic scenario, that will be a very bad call,” he added.

He also listed the bilateral engagements that the BCCI will agree to.

“India is most certainly going to Australia and England is coming for a five-match series in India. As far as South Africa T20 series is concerned, let Cricket South Africa decide where they stand as far as ICC policy matters are concerned,” the source said.

Also Read | Everyone wants to see the T20 World Cup: Misbah-Ul-Haq

“With Chris Nenzani, BCCI will only believe when he puts pen to paper,he added.

The organisation of the Indian Premier League will largely depend on India’s COVID-19 situation during that time but with the central government trying to bring in normalcy, the cash-rich league could get a five-week condensed window to go ahead.

Some of the issues that BCCI as well as all other stakeholders will be dealing with include, limited or no spectators as per ICC regulations.

Limited number of venues and increase of double-headers could be the way forward. Also the organisation should be in such a manner that all foreign players coming in might need to go for a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

In that case, when do they arrive? Also when India tour Australia, they might also have to quarantine themselves which means the team needs at least three weeks before playing the first Test.

Tax Exemption for 2021 T20 World Cup

The ICC Board is also likely to discuss the issue of tax exemption for the 2021 World T20 in India as BCCI has sought more time due to the lockdown in order to get a clearer picture from the government.

Already, the 2016 World T20 tax rebate issue has been referred to the tribunal. The deadline to get tax exemption was December 2019 but it is understood that the BCCI can hardly do anything when it comes to the country’s existing tax laws.

“If they didn’t change it in 2016 World T20, why would they change the rule in 2021. And also the tax exemption is primarily on waiver of import duty of broadcast equipments.

“We can understand that exemption is required in Australia but here Star has a fully operational set-up with all production equipments. Why do you require exemption?” the BCCI official asked.

Will ICC then deduct the tax waiver amount from India’s revenue share? Only time will tell as the global body gets a new chairman in two months.

Process to elect next chairman

The process of nomination to elect the new chairman will start soon. While England and Wales Cricket Board’s former chairman Colin Graves is the favourite, tables could well turn as BCCI president Sourav Ganguly might throw his hat in the ring.

While there has been no formal announcement from the BCCI, treasurer Arun Dhumal in a recent interview to PTI said that “Ganguly has the credentials” to become one.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away!- Login Now!
Catch all the Latest Cricket News, Live Cricket Score and IPL 2024 Schedule, India vs England Live Score match updates along with Cricket Schedule, WPL 2024 and other related updates on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 08, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On