ICC Champions Trophy 2017: BCCI confirm India’s participation post SGM

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have finally confirmed India’s participation in ICC Champions Trophy 2017. After all the hullabaloo between BCCI and International Cricket Council (ICC), the Indian board has come to a final verdict that Virat Kohli and his men will battle in ICC’s flagship tournament to defend the title. However, after Special General Meeting (SGM) held in New Delhi on Sunday, the board said that it will announce the squad on Monday. Earlier, the board had breached the deadline (April 25) to declare the team. India are placed in group B with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Officials such as Sourav Ganguly, CK Khanna, Amitabh Choudhary, Rajiv Shukla were present at the meeting.

BCCI, in their press release, said, “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Special General Meeting was held on Sunday, May 7, in New Delhi. The Board unanimously authorized the acting Hony. Secretary of the BCCI to continue negotiations with the ICC in the best interest of the BCCI while keeping its legal options open. The BCCI SGM unanimously decided that the Indian cricket team will participate in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. The All-India Senior Selection Meeting will be held tomorrow, May 8, in New Delhi to pick the team.”

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The tournament will commence on June 1, as hosts England will lock horns with Bangladesh. India, however, will play their first game on June 4 against arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston.

“The outcome of the meeting has been positive. India will participate in the Champions Trophy. There is no pulling out. Tomorrow the squad will be sent to the ICC,” IPL governing council member Rajeev Shukla told reporters after the meeting. “The honorary Secretary (Amitabh Chaudhary) has been authorised to renegotiate with ICC as far as the financial model is concerned. There will be no binding on him. Our approach should be that of trying to resolve through dialogue rather than being confrontational. There are five six issues regarding revenue and governance model which need to be sorted,” Shukla added.

COA head Vinod Rai said he had already informed the players that they were going for the event starting June 1 in England. “Of course I am relieved that they are playing Champions Trophy. But players always knew they were going. I had spoken personally to Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli that you guys are playing Champions Trophy. I have always said that USD 100 million more is okay,” Rai said.

However, Anurag Choudhary said they are yet to resolve issues with ICC. “BCCI reserves all legal options against the ICC. Playing in the Champions Trophy does not mean we agree with the ICC Revenue and governance model. Not only revenue share but governance structure is also an issue. he Negotiation process will be an ongoing one before the ICC Annual Conference in June. Other members I spoke to during the April round of meetings are also keen on amicably resolving the matter.”

Earlier, former India cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid has expressed their views on BCCI pulling India out of the series, saying that their country should feature despite the board’s dispute with ICC.

ICC had received a beating mandate from its members to amend rules around revenue so that less money and power is held by cricket’s “Big Three” including England, India, and Australia. This, as a matter of fact, reduces BCCI’s revenue from USD 570 to USD 293 “We are of course unhappy with what India is getting in the latest revenue sharing plan, but to be honest a pull-out was always our last option,” a senior BCCI had official told AFP on condition on anonymity.

Later, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) asked the Supreme Court whether BCCI took a decision “against the interest of Indian cricket”. That put BCCI under the pump, forcing it to take the right call. In addition, coach Anil Kumble had also sent a letter to the board to let India participate.

All the same, the dust has finally settled and the fans of Indian cricket will be happy to see their countrymen flaunt the blue jersey in a high-octane tournament such as this. “The hundreds of millions of cricket fans around the world just want to see good cricket and now we can all look forward to a superb event in England and Wales starting on June 1,” an ICC official told PTI.