As calls grow louder for a more balanced distribution of cricket’s financial gains among players, ICC member boards, and stakeholders, former Indian cricketer and coach Ravi Shastri has strongly backed the idea that India deserves a significant share of the sport’s global revenue.
In recent years, criticism has mounted over India’s dominant position in ICC revenue distribution. Under a model adopted in 2023, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is allocated 38.5% of ICC earnings — a figure that far exceeds the shares of other leading cricket boards such as those of England, Australia, and Pakistan.
Shastri, however, defended this distribution, arguing that India’s massive audience base and the commercial power of the IPL make the country the biggest contributor to cricket’s financial ecosystem.
“Absolutely, I would want more. Because most of the money that’s generated comes from India. So it’s only fair that they get their share of pound of flesh,” claimed Shastri in an interview with Wisden.
"It’s relative, it’s economies. If tomorrow there might be another economy that’s stronger, money might come from there like it did in the 70s-80s, and the chunk of the money went somewhere else."
India’s dominant position in the ICC’s revenue-sharing model has drawn criticism, with many viewing it as a sign of the BCCI’s growing influence over global cricket governance. While India’s media rights and commercial pull far outpace those of other member nations, this economic power has also translated into greater political leverage within the ICC.
Examples include India’s reported influence over the 2025 Champions Trophy arrangements and efforts to expand the IPL’s window in the international calendar. Still, with a potential audience of 1.4 billion, Ravi Shastri argues that India’s financial contribution justifies an even larger share, noting that international series often gain more traction when India is involved.
“So I think it’s only fair, and it shows in the revenues. When India travel, look at the television rights, look at the television income that comes for an India series. So it’s only fair that they get whatever they’re getting now, if not more,” concluded Shastri.
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