The ODI World Cup 2023 is expected to begin on October 5 and end on November 19. The final is set to take place at the largest cricket stadium in the world, located in Ahmedabad, according to information the ICC has learned from the BCCI, the organisation hosting the 10-team premier event.
On the short list alongside Ahmedabad are Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, and Mumbai. Over the duration of the 46-day tournament, 48 matches in all, including three knockout rounds, will be performed.
The BCCI and the two or three cities where the teams will play the warm-up games have yet to reveal the locations of any of the games, with the exception of the title game. The delay in choosing the places is due to the challenges brought on by the monsoon season ending at various points in various parts of India.
The ICC typically releases the World Cup schedules at least a year in advance, but this time it was also held off until the BCCI received the required approvals from the Indian government.
Obtaining a tax exemption for the event and acquiring a visa for the Pakistani team, which hasn’t played in India outside of ICC matches since early 2013, are the two main issues involved in this.
The BCCI is said to have promised the international organisation at the ICC’s quarterly meetings held last weekend in Dubai that the Indian government will approve visas for the Pakistani team.
The BCCI is likely to inform the ICC shortly with the fixed location of the Indian government with regard to the tax exemption issue.
The tax exemption was included in the host’s agreement that the BCCI and the ICC signed in 2014 when India was given the right to host three men’s events: the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2016 T20 World Cup.
The 2018 Champions Trophy was later renamed the 2021 T20 World Cup due to the pandemic. According to the agreement, the BCCI was “obligated” to assist the ICC (and all of its business partners involved in the event) in obtaining tax exemptions.
The ICC was told by the Indian tax authorities last year that the 2023 World Cup’s broadcast revenue will be subject to a 20% tax order (excluding surcharges).
The BCCI noted in a message sent to its members, state associations, that any tax “incurred” by ICC will be “adjusted” against the Indian board’s revenues from ICC’s main revenue pool.
The ICC’s expected broadcasting revenue from the 2023 World Cup was indicated in the statement by the BCCI as USD 533.29 million.
It claimed that a tax order of 10.92% on that would have a “financial impact” on it of around UDS 58.23 million (the BCCI’s note put the amount as USD 52.23 million, which seems to be a typo given the percentages listed).
The tax component would more than double to more than USD 116.47 million if it were to be 21.84% as the Indian tax authorities prefer.