BCCI fears huge losses if Lodha panel recommendations implemented

If the BCCI were to follow the recommendation of ensuring a 15-day gap between the national calendar and the IPL, the board will incur losses amounting to crores of rupees, Anurag Thakur has said.

Anurag Thakur..."If you wind up the IPL because of the International calendars, Indian cricket is going to lose."

The BCCI will have to face financial losses to the tune of crores of rupees if the Supreme Court-appointed R.M. Lodha Committee recommendations on IPL are to be implemented, President Anurag Thakur said on Sunday.

“If you look at the overall IPL calendar, IPL would not be possible that way. Are you going to lose 100s of crores of Rupees?” Thakur said while referring to the recommendation of ensuring a 15-day gap between the national calendar and the IPL.

The BCCI president was replying to a query to keep the India’s home calendar confined from October to March. He was speaking at the book launch ceremony of ‘India 500 Tests’, published by Sportstar , at the team hotel.

Thakur further said, “Money is paid to the past cricketers. More than Rs 110 crores have been distributed to past cricketers. If you wind up the IPL because of the International calendars, Indian cricket is going to lose. You have to decide overall. 15 days window is not possible as of today if you have both IPL and the Test calendar to go on.”

“We wanted to start our home season from the Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) but one recommendation of the Lodha Committee is that there has to be a gap of 15 days...”

Having concluded testing pink ball in the Duleep Trophy, Thakur further said the Board will weigh the option of hosting day-night Tests and organising Tests in smaller centres after the 13-Test home calendar. “Whether day-night venue or new venue will help, we are looking at both options. By the end of home season we will get various views.”