The upcoming T20 World Cup is less than a month away, which will be hosted by United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman frm October 24.
As per a report, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) will be paid USD 7 million for hosting 39 games in the UAE while Oman Cricket (OC) will receive a hosting fee of USD 400,000 for hosting six first round games of the showpiece event.
On the other hand, according to a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) estimate, about which it informed its Apex Council members recently, the Indian board, the designated hosts of the T20 World Cup, will earn a revenue around USD 12 million from the showpiece event.
In a detailed email to the Apex Council members recently, the Indian board had said that of the USD 7 million fee to the ECB, USD 1.5 million is for hosting, USD 5.5 million is the cost for operation and USD 400,000 is the operational cost for the six games in Muscat.
The BCCI meanwhile, also informed the Apex Council that its own surplus will be USD 12 million.
The email, which has been accessed by Cricbuzz, states that: “The BCCI is hosting a major part of this event in UAE, i.e in Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Sharjah. The BCCI is working with the ECB on similar lines. Some of the key pointer’s w.r.t BCCI’s arrangement with ECB is as follows:
1. BCCI is paying ECB a fixed fee of USD 1.5 million (from our host fee of USD 13.5 Million) and operational costs of USD 5.5 million which will be covered by ICC. Total fee payable is USD 7 millon.
2. All operational deliverables w.r.t ICC’s requirements will be provided by the ECB
3. BCCI has transferred its ticketing rights to the ECB and all revenues generated out of sale of match tickets will be retained by the ECB
4. A Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for delivery of this event has been constituted which mainly include staff from BCCI and a few staff from ECB.”
The email further said: “The BCCI is hosting 6 matches in Muscat. Some of the key pointer’s w.r.t BCCI’s arrangement with ECB is as follows:
1. BCCI is paying OC a fixed fee of USD 400,000.
2. All operational deliverables w.r.t ICC’s requirements will be provided by the OC
3. BCCI has transferred its ticketing rights to the OC and all revenues generated out of sale of match tickets will be retained by the OC.
4. The BCCI has deployed a team from its LOC in Muscat to oversee the preparation for the event.”
“The BCCI discussed the hosting issues with the ICC and had several rounds of deliberations internally. After much thought, it was decided that the safety of players and other stakeholders is of paramount importance and keeping that in mind, it was best to shift the event to the United Arab Emirates and Oman,” board’s secretary Jay Shah wrote in the email.
Earlier, the showpiece event was slated to be held in India but was later shifted to the UAE due to the pandemic.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said that considering the uncertainty due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, it was tough for them to take the decision of not holding it in India.
The BCCI will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held across four venues – Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground.
“The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman,” Ganguly had said.
“We would have been happier hosting it in India but considering the uncertainty due to the Covid 19 situation and the importance of a world championship, the BCCI will now continue to host this tournament in UAE and Oman. The BCCI is looking forward to creating a spectacle,” he had added.
The upcoming edition will be the first Men’s T20 World Cup played since 2016, when West Indies beat England in the final in India.