BCCI mulling over the prospect of travelling to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023 - Reports 

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) is apparently not entirely against the idea of traveling to Pakistan to partake in the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup.

The BCCI will revisit and explore the possibility of crossing the border during the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) on October 18.

Pakistan last hosted the Asia Cup in 2008, which coincidentally also marks India's last trip to the country. Cricket in Pakistan took a major backseat in the previous decade but following the efforts of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it is slowly springing back to life.

The Men in Green have hosted the likes of the West Indies, Australia, and England over the course of the last few months. However, the prospect of hosting India is a whole other proposition due to the ever-maintained political tension.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, the state associations have been handed a brief note by the BCCI ahead of the AGM meeting. Among the topics of interest lie Team India's future overseas endavours, which feature the 2023 Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan.

A section of the note read:

"The Indian team will be participating the following ICC events in 2023.ICC Women's T20 World Cup, South Africa, ICC Women's U-19 T20 World Cup, South Africa. Asia Cup, Pakistan, ICC Cricket World Cup, India."

A BCCI official asserted that any possibility of Team India traveling to Pakistan will have to be cleared by the government. He said:

"It will be subject to the clearance of the Government of India as always."

According to the recently released Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2023-2027, India are not scheduled to play any bilateral series against Pakistan, leaving their meeting solely down to ICC events and the Asia Cup.

A successful trip across the border could also prove to be a prelude to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which will also be held in Pakistan.

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BCCI facing a $116.47 million loss from broadcast revenue due to an increased tax outlay on the 2023 World Cup

A 20 percent tax outlay imposed by the government of India on the 2023 ODI World Cup could lead to a huge financial loss for the BCCI.

With the total cost of the tournament estimated to be around $533.29 million, the increased tax outlay will lead to a loss of $116.47 million in terms of revenue generated.

The BCCI is currently in talks over the Ministry of Finance to reduce the tax outlay to 10 per cent, similar to the one imposed when India hosted the T20 World Cup 2016. The note read:

"It is to be noted that any tax cost incurred by the ICC for the 2023 event in India will be adjusted with the BCCI's share of revenue from the ICC."

Technically speaking, India held the hosting rights for the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, but the event was conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As a result, the laws did not apply. The note further read:

"The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 was scheduled to be held in India but was shifted to UAE & Oman in the middle of this year due to Covid 19 pandemic related reasons.

"The BCCI hosted this event with the Emirates Cricket Board and Oman Cricket. Since the event was held outside of India, the same was not subject to any withholding tax by the Indian tax authorities."

The government had waived off the taxes for the 2011 edition of the ODI World Cup. Since then, there has always been a tax outlay for ICC events in India.

Will India travel to Pakistan in 2023, ending a 15-year hiatus? Let us know what you think.

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