The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) do not seem to be looking each other in the eye of late as they have now been involved in a dispute regarding the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The latest bone of contention between the two bodies results from the ICC's wish to get involved in the matters concerning the IPL. TOI reports that the international body is making "serious efforts" to put in place a "watchdog" in order to oversee all existing and upcoming private T20 leagues around the world.
The ICC wants to put in place an 'event sanctioning group' in order to bring about uniformity in the policy governing all such T20 leagues. ICC's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Iain Higgins and media rights head Aarti Singh Dabas are slated to helm this committee.
The groups will be working towards the following:
- Bring about more control on the many private T20 leagues sprouting around the world.
- Help draw up a uniform policy on how these leagues function.
- Have a say in the format and players policy.
- As a governing body, be seen as a policymaker for the many international cricket boards (full and associate members) who have T20 leagues or will soon have one.
But the BCCI has categorically rejected the ICC's wish to have a say in the IPL and the TOI reports BCCI's clear stand on the matter, "The IPL is an Indian domestic tournament and just the way how the ICC has no locus standi in a tournament like the Ranji Trophy, it will have no say in the IPL as well."
This idea was floated at the recent Chief Executives Committee meeting of the ICC in Dubai. Here, the BCCI was represented by its CEO Rahul Johri and according to TOI, after some amount of "backroom lobbying", he has managed to keep ICC at an arm's length for the moment.
Earlier, the ICC rejected BCCI's wish to "isolate" Pakistan on the grounds of it being a country from where terror emanates. The Hindu reported that Rahul Johri was told by the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar that such decisions were beyond their jurisdiction.
The other issue raised by the BCCI was security concerns surrounding the Indian players, officials and fans in the upcoming World Cup. Regarding this matter, ICC CEO David Richardson assured the BCCI. "As you would expect for a global sporting event, the ICC, in partnership with the ECB (England Cricket Board) has a robust security plan in place for the World Cup," he said.
India is yet to take a call on whether to play Pakistan in the World Cup following the Pulwama terror attack on February 14. For the moment, the India versus Pakistan match is slated to be held in Old Trafford, Manchester on June 16.
