CHENNAI: The BCCI has not met the deadline of April 25 for submission of squad for the Champions Trophy beginning in England on June 1. No official word yet, but it’s understood that officials are waiting for the April 26-27 ICC meeting in Dubai to get over and see how the BCCI’s demand for rejection of the new revenue model is received.
Surprising it may seem, but there is no provision for penalty or sanction for not meeting the deadline. It expired at midnight Dubai time on Tuesday and the Indian selection committee got no instruction on picking the squad. One reason the BCCI treated the structure with such disrespect is the absence of punitive measures.
The ICC sets the last date for submission of 15-member squads ahead of tournaments like the World Cup, WT20 and Champions Trophy.
It’s for promotional purposes so that the faces of stars can be used to market the event. Usually, this doesn’t become an issue because teams mostly comply.
“Nothing,” an ICC official told Express, when asked what happens to teams that fail to meet the deadline.
“Using names of players for event promotion is a revenue-generation exercise. There’s no fine or any other penalty for not submitting the names of players on time. Although not very often, it has happened in the past,” he added.
“Sometimes, teams say that due to uncertainty caused by fitness, they can’t finalise the 15. There have also been instances of teams saying that they are in the middle of an ODI series and giving the names afterwards. Because it’s a question of understanding between the ICC and member boards, nobody has ever spoken about sanctions for not meeting this deadline,” said the source.
On its part, the ICC will now start a follow-up process of persuading the concerned boards to send their teams by a reasonable time.
“It’s not as if we have to keep setting deadlines. Member boards know the importance of this exercise and how it’s related to the ICC’s commercial well-being. We expect them to react accordingly,” he said.
The BCCI wants to keep India’s participation in the Champions Trophy uncertain and if needed, use it as a tool to pressurise the ICC when it comes to accepting the proposed revenue model. A decision on this is expected after the ICC meeting.
atreyo@newindianexpress.com