BCCI finally reveals the reason behind India playing all of their matches in Dubai
Recently, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has been part of some controversies, with Asia Cup being the heart of the matter. It all started with a rift between Star Network and BCCI, and the focus has now come to the allegations put by various participating teams about the favoritism that India has got in the tournament.
Sarfraz Ahmed and Mashrafe Mortaza upset with Asia Cup scheduling
It was Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed who put forth some allegations on India getting special treatment in the tournament. He emphasized that the Asia Cup scheduling, with India playing all of their matches in Dubai, is quite unfair to the other participating teams. He further added that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might take this issue to ICC.
Nonetheless, Sarfraz wasn't the last one to show some displeasure upon the scheduling of Asia Cup. Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza also came out to protest the provincial scheduling of the Super Four matches. He said that he was quite disappointed to witness the reiterated schedule.
BCCI hits back at the allegations of India favouritism
However, BCCI has finally come out with a reply for the rest of Asia. The BCCI feels that the teams are unnecessarily exaggerating the situation about the supposed favored treatment given to India while scheduling the Asia Cup. As per the reports in the Mirror, an official connected with the Indian cricket board said, "The scheduling wasn’t done overnight."
He added, "Approvals from CEOs had been taken, which the Asian captains aren’t aware of. It’s conveniently forgotten that the Asia Cup was scheduled in India, but we had to play the tournament in Dubai owing to Pakistan. Everybody has to make adjustments."
BCCI: Revenue matters too
The official also stated the reason of India playing all of their matches in Dubai - revenue generation. After the poor sales of tickets during the Afghanistan-Sri Lanka game in Abu Dhabi, the official concluded, "It’s a no-brainer that Dubai is the place to maximize ticket sales. And India matches are huge money-spinners. There are 24 corporate boxes here. Whatever people think, revenue matters. How will the Asian Cricket Council fund for the development of upcoming teams such as Afghanistan and Hong Kong?"