ICC Board Meet: India to get maximum share; only 4 overseas players allowed in new T20 leagues
New Delhi (PTI): The BCCI reaffirmed its status as the financial powerhouse of world cricket as the ICC unanimously passed the revenue distribution model at its all-powerful board meeting in Durban on Thursday.
In another important development, the ICC has put a cap on overseas cricketers plying their trade for teams in various leagues, keeping it to four players per playing XI in new events. This is primarily meant for T20 leagues starting in every nook and corner, which is posing a threat to the international version of the game.
While the ICC media release didn't state the quantum of revenue that the BCCI will generate from the new distribution model, it is expected that the Indian board will annually earn USD 230 million from the USD 600 million pot for the next four years.
It is around 38.4 percent approximately and at least six times more than England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), who are set to receive approximately USD 41 million at 6.89 percent and Cricket Australia (CA) who will get 37.53 million (around 6.25 percent). They are distant second and third in the list.
"The ICC Board also confirmed the largest ever investment into the sport after the distribution model for the next four years was agreed," the ICC release stated.
"Every ICC Member will receive significantly enhanced funding with a strategic investment fund ring-fenced to drive global growth initiatives in line with the ICC Global Growth Strategy," it further stated.
While the numbers were not there in the release, an ICC board member confirmed that the BCCI got its rightful share for its contribution to the growth of the sport and in this cycle each member would earn significantly more.
"All members will receive a base distribution and then additional revenue will be in relation to contribution to the global game both on and off the field," ICC chairman Greg Barclay said.
"This is by far the largest level of investment ever to go into cricket and it's a once in a generation opportunity for our members to accelerate growth and engage more players and fans and drive competitiveness," he added.
Cap on players' participation in new events
The ICC has decided that all new events (read various T20 leagues) will have to at least include seven home grown players or players from associate member in their playing XIs, in order to prevent en masse retirement of T20 specialists from top countries.
With the Major League Cricket (MLC) starting in the USA and Saudi Arabia also planning an ambitious T20 project in future, the stakeholders want to protect international cricket.
The host T20 board will also have to pay a "solidarity fee", which, in simple words, is a commission to the home board of an overseas player.
"Moving forwards, new events requiring a sanction will need to ensure the playing XI of each team will include a minimum of seven local or associate member players to support the development of the game.
"Additionally, a solidarity fee will be payable from the organising member to the home board of a player to reflect the role the member played in developing and promoting the sport globally."
Over-rate sanctions
The Chief Executives' Committee approved changes to over-rate sanctions in Test cricket to balance the need for over-rates to be maintained and ensure players are appropriately remunerated.
Such players will be fined 5% of their match fee for each over short up to a maximum of 50%.
If a team is bowled out before the new ball is due at 80 overs, there will be no over-rate penalty applied even if there is a slow over-rate. This replaces the current 60 over threshold.
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
