What is ICC without BCCI: Arun Dhumal

New Delhi, October 24 

India not having a “say” in the International Cricket Council is a major concern for newly-appointed BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal, who has questioned the very relevance of the world body if it doesn’t have the country in a prominent role.

After taking charge, Dhumal spoke about his immediate priorities, which include increasing the board’s revenue despite the fact that the BCCI remains the richest body in international cricket. 

“Could we have ever imagined that BCCI will not have a say in ICC’s roadmap? It was never imagined. What is ICC without BCCI?” asked Dhumal, referring to India’s absence from the ICC’s newly-created working group to chalk out a fresh governance model for the body.

He also made it clear that the BCCI is not on board with the ICC as far as the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the 2023-2031 cycle is concerned. “We do not agree to the new proposal of the ICC with regards to the increase of tournaments,” he said.

Dhumal said cutting down on unnecessary expenditure would be high on his priorities. He would look to use that money to improve the financial position of First-Class cricketers. Dhumal, brother of former BCCI president Anurag Thakur, is “surprised” at the amount of money that has gone into covering legal expenses. Since 2017, the board was being managed by a Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators, which demitted office yesterday. “My goal is to increase the BCCI revenue as what has happened now is that revenues are stable but expenses have gone up,” Dhumal said. — PTI