ICC is trying to cut the hand that is feeding them, says BCCI official

After reports emerged about the huge amount (USD135m) of money given to the ECB to host the Champions Trophy next year, BCCI President Anurag Thakur expressed his concern about the allocation of the hefty amount.

Thakur said, “We have certain concerns and we have sent queries to the ICC because the money that will be spent on the event will go from everyone's pockets. I'm sure the ICC will understand this. As a cricketing nation, India would like to play its role as a global leader," reported The Times of India.

While in a subsequent reply, an ICC source denied the budget hike and insisted that a total of less than 60 Million US dollars has been drafted for the Champions Trophy, but BCCI sources have maintained that 135 Million US dollars have been allotted to them.

The ICC, however, has pointed out that it is only following the standard procedure and, in a statement, said,

“Like all ICC events, the event host produces a draft budget based on the delivery of a high quality event in that market. This budget is then circulated to the Members before being formally discussed and approved by the ICC Board during the ICC Annual Conference.”

The BCCI and ICC have been at loggerheads over many issues after former BCCI President Shashank Manohar took over as the ICC chairman. BCCI has also expressed its displeasure towards their non-representation in the all-important finance committee which is responsible for all the budget finalizations.

"The BCCI is responsible for 80% of ICC's revenue and it does not get a representation in these committees. It clearly looks like the ICC is trying to cut the hand that is feeding them," a top BCCI official said, reported ToI.