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BCCI may allow Indian cricketers to participate in ECB's 'The Hundred': Report

WION Web Team
New Delhi, IndiaUpdated: May 28, 2020, 12:40 PM IST
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The reported BCCI-ECB alliance could open a window for Indian players as for the first time, they may participate in The Hundred tournament next summer.

With the election fever gripping the International Cricket Council (ICC), it was announced by the global cricket body that current president Shashank Manohar is not seeking re-election. As per reports, England’s Colin Graves is a likely successor for the top post and the BCCI will back the Englishman. However, there seems to more about this BCCI-ECB alliance.

According to a report, the BCCI-ECB alliance could open a window for Indian players as for the first time, they may participate in The Hundred tournament next summer.

ECB’s brainchild The Hundred was originally scheduled to be held in July-August this year but was postponed to 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While the new schedule hasn’t been announced, the report stated that it may be tagged along with India’s tour of England next year.

With COVID-19 pandemic leading to financial blows for every cricket board, England will need BCCI’s support to recover from the hit it has suffered due to the crisis. 

"We want something that has global relevance, real commercial power, something that the whole game has ownership of and that reduces our reliance on international cricket, which is currently responsible for more than 90 per cent of our revenue," ECB chief executive Tom Harrison told The Cricketer. 

A consultancy group – Oakwell Sports Advisory – has suggested that The Hundred must attract Indian players and investors to make the tournament a big hit. 

In a report entitled The Impact of Covid-19 on English Cricket, Oakwell states: “The Hundred needs to be able to attract Indian players and subsequently an Indian fanbase, too. The Indian subcontinent constitutes 90% of the 1 billion cricket fans aged 16-69 globally.

"Indian investment into the Hundred, including from IPL team owners, may facilitate the involvement of Indian players in the longer term. In addition to generating revenue out of India, this would be vital in unlocking the south-Asian UK-based fanbase."

This report comes at a time when senior Indian players have been vocal about BCCI not allowing them to go to other countries and participate in cricket leagues and tournaments.

The likes of Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa have said that playing in other leagues will improve the quality of Indian players and will allow them to get accustomed to different conditions.