CHENNAI: There is another tussle looming in CoA. Retd Lt Gen Ravi Thodge, who was included as the third member of the panel by the Supreme Court, has made a proposal which will see BCCI move away from its existing revenue-sharing model. The proposal and the plan, which are currently being explored by CFO Santosh Rangnekar, will see the state units get their funds on merit basis. While there were reports suggesting that CoA was planning to reduce the funds allocated to states, Thodge strongly refuted it, saying, “There is not an iota of truth in it.”
Since the 90s, once BCCI — during its annual general meeting — allocates its revenue share to stakeholders, it shares 70 per cent with the state units and the rest goes into the board’s kitty. During the last AGM, in 2015, each association got Rs 30 crore.
With several associations now becoming full-time members, Thodge believes it won’t be a level field. While some associations have contributed immensely to the growth of Indian cricket, some — such as the ones from Northeast — are taking baby steps.
“The distribution should be based on activities conducted by each unit. At the moment, every association gets the same share, irrespective of activities being carried out and players representing it. That is a bit unfair. We’ve asked the person concerned to draw a plan so that the state units get shares on a merit basis. Once it is ready, we’ll go through the plan and then present it before the Supreme Court through amicus curiae for approval.”
But it is understood that the proposal has already divided CoA, where at least one other member believes it is against the orders of the Supreme Court. “These units were given affiliation because there shouldn’t be any disparity. So if they don’t get funds, how will they develop infrastructure that is needed for them to grow? The idea is very absurd,” said another CoA member.
Even the state units are understood to be wary of this proposal, as they believe it will have an adverse effect on how they conduct local matches.
“The share that we get from BCCI is our only income. If they reduce it, then we won’t be able to host any of our matches,” said a former state-unit official. “BCCI gives subsidy for hosting matches, but that doesn’t cover everything. If they reduce our share, we won’t be able to sustain it in the long run. Our grassroots cricket will be affected. If the share is cut, the effects will be seen in the long run.”