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BCCI given INR 25 lakh per match of limited-overs series

The Supreme Court of India has allowed the BCCI to release INR 1.33 crore per Test and INR 25 lakh per match to the state associations for hosting the final two Tests and the three ODIs and T20s next year

Nagraj Gollapudi
07-Dec-2016
The Supreme Court rejected the BCCI's request to release an amount of INR 3.79 crore for India's limited-overs matches against England next year  •  BCCI

The Supreme Court rejected the BCCI's request to release an amount of INR 3.79 crore for India's limited-overs matches against England next year  •  BCCI

The Supreme Court of India has allowed the BCCI to release INR 1.33 crore to the state associations of Mumbai and Tamil Nadu for hosting the final two Tests of the England series. The fourth Test starts in Mumbai on Thursday and the final match is scheduled from December 16.
On Wednesday morning the BCCI filed a plea seeking funds to host the remaining matches of the England series after the court in its interim order of October 21 had curtailed the boards's financial freedom by asking to "cease and desist" from disbursing any money to the state associations till they complied with the Lodha Committee's recommendations. In November, the court had granted an amount of INR 58.66 lakh (USD 86,000 approx) for each of the first three Tests of the England series.
On Wednesday, TS Thakur, the chief justice of India, told the BCCI that it would need to provide an elaborate list of expenses incurred during the five Tests, which he said would be audited. Thakur also rejected the BCCI's request to release an amount of INR 3.79 crore as advance money for the limited-overs leg of the tour. Instead, the court allowed a maximum of INR 25 lakh per match for the three ODIs and three T20Is that will be played between January 15 and February 1.
"We allow this application to the extent that the BCCI shall be free to incur an expenditure of Rs. 133.82 lakhs in connection with two test matches scheduled to be played with the English team. We also permit the BCCI to incur an expenditure up to Rs. 25 lakhs per 3 match for six matches scheduled to be played with the English team in the month of January and February, 2017," the court order said.
The BCCI had also asked the court to allow it to release funds to cater to expenses incurred by state associations hosting various domestic tournaments, but Thakur did not permit that.
During the hearing, Lodha Committee secretary Gopal Sankaranarayanan observed that all the state associations hosting the England matches had incidentally refused to comply with the court's order to implement the reforms in toto. Aksed if that would benefit these state associations, Sankaranarayanan said it would, considering the venues were getting ticket money and sponsorships.
"We further direct that the BCCI shall file an affidavit indicating the total receipts on all counts in connection with the matches already played and those scheduled to be played and the share of receipts which has fallen to BCCI's lot out of the total," the court order said. "We make it clear that no part of the amount which we have authorised shall be handed over to the cricket associations whose stadia are used for playing the matches and that the amount shall be disbursed only by Account Payee's cheque. Needless to say that proper accounts of the expenditure so incurred shall be maintained by the BCCI."

Nagraj Gollapudi is a senior assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo