BCCI discusses restructure in sharing of ICC revenue

A changed revenue-distribution model for the ICC was one of several issues discussed between Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards and BCCI president N Srinivasan in Singapore last week. Edwards is also head of the ICC governance committee and his meeting with Srinivasan happened to be part of his regular rounds of talks with ICC executive board members. The BCCI is understood to be in favour of a sharing of ICC revenue that better reflects the size of its financial contribution to the game, rather than an equal split among all Full Member nations.

The Singapore discussions were said to have taken place over a middle ground between current practice and BCCI's informal stand on the subject.

Srinivasan was in Singapore for an IPL franchise-owners workshop. Along with being BCCI president and therefore member of the IPL governing council, he is also owner of the Chennai Super Kings IPL franchise.

Neither CA nor the BCCI made any formal statement about their stand on the subject of ICC revenue distribution until Tuesday. At the sidelines of the ICC awards announcement function in Mumbai, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said the issue was the "legitimate right" of the BCCI and was still under discussion. "This legitimate right issue has been put up before the Full Members of ICC. It is nothing but a just and fair right that we are asking for. It is not any muscle flexing." Patel told PTI. Srinivasan had put up the issue for the "first time in the history of the BCCI as a Full Member of the ICC. He has worked out very good details and very good options," Patel said.

"President Srinivasan, since last year, was looking into the financial details of ICC. He has made a private study about what could be the contribution of the BCCI into the revenue stream of ICC. On the basis of that, some formulae have been discussed among us. His own acumen as a businessman has also helped us." On the home front, the BCCI hands out 70% of its annual revenue to 27 of its affiliates in equal proportions.

Cricket Australia's own views on the subjects are not yet known in the public domain. It has however changed its own financial-revenue distribution in 2012 as part of a raft of governance changes including the move towards a fully independent board of directors. From each state receiving an equal share, revenue is now distributed on a basis of need, as decided by CA's board.

The discussion between Edwards and Srinivasan also covered matters including the vast disparity between dividends received by lower ranked Full Member countries and the top Associate nations like Ireland and Afghanistan.