Can Sourav Ganguly secure for BCCI the Income Tax exemption it wants?

Although BCCI is the richest cricketing body in the world and is worth about ₹13,000 cr, it has disputed claims that its revenue is ‘business income’ and it has been paying Income Tax ‘under protest’

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly (PTI Photo)
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly (PTI Photo)
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NH Web Desk

The Board of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI), a private body registered as a society in Chennai, is the richest cricketing body in the world and is worth ₹13,000 Crore according to the latest statement of accounts.

To put BCCI’s financial clout in context, the next richest cricketing body, Cricket South Africa (CSA) is estimated to be worth ₹489 Crore ( 69 million Dollars). Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) is worth ₹390 Crore while the English & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is worth ₹418 Crore.

While Star India had paid the BCCI a whopping ₹16,347 Crore for broadcasting rights of the IPL matches between 2019 and 2022, for every international match the BCCI hosts, it is paid ₹43.20 Crore by Star India, ₹2.42 Crore by PayTM, the series sponsor, and ₹4.61 Crore by Oppo and now BYJU, which sponsors the cricketers’ jersey.

BCCI was worth ₹5,438 Crore in 2014-15 and ₹8000 Crore in the year 2016-17. The Board is hosting as many as 26 international matches this cricketing season.

While the Income Tax Department had withdrawn in 2009 the tax exemption granted to the BCCI, the dispute remains unresolved and the BCCI is believed to have paid around ₹5000 Crore under protest by way of Income Tax.


The Income Tax Department had deemed BCCI’s activities in 2013 as ‘commercial’ and its income as business income. This was contested by the BCCI.

In fact one of the key challenges before the newly elected BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is to persuade the Union Government to restore the IT exemption.

Ganguly, who pipped Brijesh Patel to the post at the last minute, apparently following the intervention of ‘an influential Union cabinet minister’ widely believed to be Amit Shah, has denied harbouring any political ambition. But the denial has not been able to scotch speculation that he has been chosen as Shah’s poster boy ahead of the West Bengal Assembly election next year.

Ganguly was also believed to be close to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

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