India not to host ICC Champions Trophy 2021 as BCCI against ODI to T20 format change?

Mumbai: The ICC Champions Trophy, the second most renowned 50-over tournament after the World Cup, could soon be switched to a Twenty20 format by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the upcoming edition.

It is learnt that this decision comes in an attempt to fill up for ICC's projected losses in their proposed revenue distribution for member boards in the 2019 financial year. The ICC and few other board members want to switch the tournament format in order to make it more marketable.

However, it is reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which has been at loggerheads with the game’s global governing body wants the ICC Champions Trophy to remain as it is.

“The format cannot and will not change. The Champions Trophy was introduced as part of the vision of our former president Jagmohan Dalmiya and it’ll be his fifth anniversary when the tournament is hosted by India. This (proposed) move has been brought to the notice of the (BCCI) members and should the ICC persist, there’ll be a strong opposition from India,” a close source was quoted as saying to The Times of India.

The ICC is even considering shifting the tournament outside India in an attempt to avoid any tax exemptions by the Indian government.

"The Board expressed their concern around the absence of a tax exemption from the Indian Government for ICC events held in India despite ongoing efforts from both the ICC and BCCI to secure the exemption which is standard practice for major sporting events around the world," the ICC said in a media release following the board meeting in Dubai in February.

However, the proposed idea has also irked few members of the Indian cricket board.

“Should the ICC use tax exemptions from Indian government as an excuse to make up for their own losses and propose the shifting of tournaments, it will lead to a disaster. India will pull out of all agreements,” the source further added.