BCCI's mini IPL proposal receives opposition from other national boards

In a move which could signal a reduction to BCCI’s power on the world stage, their proposal to hold a mini IPL has received a snub from other national boards. Times of India reported that Cricket Australia, England & Wales Cricket Board, Cricket South Africa and West Indies Cricket Board opposed the tournament’s formulation at the annual ICC conference at Edinburgh earlier this month.

BCCI had floated the idea of hosting a shortened version of the IPL in September to serve as a replacement to the scrapped Champions League Twenty20. Intended to be held in overseas destinations, the authorities were attempting to tap into the vast Indian Diaspora outside the country.

However, broadcasters did not show a lot of interest due to the uncertainty surrounding the availability of leading players across the world. Aside from the prospect of a packed international calendar, BCCI’s revamp of the Duleep Trophy to incorporate pink ball first-class matches played a part too.

As a result, the likelihood of such a tournament taking place this year lessened considerably. Apparently, ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar refused to deliberate on the topic, saying it wasn’t on the agenda.

Manohar who had previously served as BCCI President was involved in talks with Star television network on reverting the World T20 back to a two-year pattern. Since opposing the formation of the ‘Big Three’ model, he has not been on the same page as current BCCI Chief Anurag Thakur.

A source privy to the developments revealed, “If true, it's a telling sign of the reduced clout the current set of administrators (in the board) wield, unlike their predecessors. It's also a personal embarrassment for the men running the BCCI right now.”

Interestingly, BCCI also turned down the request of a few IPL franchises to play friendly games in USA during August/September.