Ravi Shastri urges BCCI to push for bigger share of ICC revenue

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) currently receives the largest portion of the International Cricket Council (ICC) revenue share out of all member boards. The ICC's latest financial model has earmarked 38.5% of revenue for the BCCI. This allocation has sparked enormous debate around the cricketing globe. With Team India being the most followed and most watched cricket team globally, the disproportionate distribution is often viewed as reflective of India’s dominance in the sport’s economics.

Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri has come out in full support of this arrangement. In a conversation with Wisden, Shastri strongly defended India’s revenue share and suggested that the BCCI deserves even more. “I absolutely agree (that India should get 38.5 percent). I would want more for India,” he said, endorsing the financial model that heavily favors India.

When asked to elaborate on his viewpoint, Shastri pointed to India’s unmatched revenue contribution to the sport. “Most of the money that is generated comes from India. So it's only fair that they get their pound of flesh,” he stated. He explained that economic trends often dictate such distributions and that India’s current economic weight in cricket justifies their dominant share. “And it's relative. It's economies. Tomorrow there might be another economy that's stronger, money might come from there like it did in the 1970s and 80s, and the chunk of the money goes somewhere else,” Shastri reasoned.

“It Shows in the Revenues”: Shastri on India’s Economic Impact

Shastri further underlined the importance of Indian cricket in driving viewership and revenue across the world. “I think it's only fair. It shows in the revenues. When India travels, look at the television rights and look at the television income that comes from an India series. So it's only fair that they get whatever they're getting now, if not more,” he said, reinforcing the idea that India’s economic power fuels the sport’s global operations.

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Currently, India is playing a five-match Test series against England that carries extreme importance. And while the matches are being played, Shastri's comments have again thrust the economics of the game into the limelight, shining a broader light on how central India is to the future of world cricket.