Transition occurs amid US$3bn Star TV rights dispute
India’s Jay Shah will likely assume the role of chair of the International Cricket Council, following the resignation of Greg Barclay, according to reports.
This change comes amid a US$3 billion dispute between the ICC and its major broadcast rights holder, Star TV.
“ICC chair Greg Barclay confirmed to the board that he will not stand for a third term and will step down from the post when his current tenure finishes at the end of November. Barclay was appointed as the independent ICC chair in November 2020, before being re-elected in 2022,” an ICC spokesperson said.
“Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next chair by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new chair commencing on 1 December 2024.”
Although Barclay was eligible for a two-year extension, Shah has reportedly secured support from Australia, England, and other nations to lead the ICC for at least three years under the revised constitution.
Shah is a key figure in the ICC board, currently leading its Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) sub-committee. He has significant support from the 16 voting members. Shah has one year remaining as BCCI secretary before a mandatory three-year cooling-off period starting October 2025, after which he would be eligible to become BCCI President.
According to the BCCI constitution, an office bearer can serve six years before a cooling-off period, with a total limit of 18 years—nine in a state association and nine in the BCCI. If Shah moves to the ICC now, he will have four years left in his BCCI term. At 35, he could become the youngest chairman in ICC history.
Shah’s rise coincides with a dispute in which Star TV is seeking relief from its $3 billion deal with the ICC for broadcasting rights from 2024 to 2027. Star wants to renegotiate the deal to cut its value by up to half, which could impact the budgets of major cricket countries.
ICC directors have received a notice from Star requesting a reduction in rights fees, prompting potential renegotiation or extension of the deal. Star’s bid assumed they would be able to sell a portion of the rights to ZeeTV, which was set to merge with Sony.
However, with the ZeeTV-Sony merger falling through, ZeeTV is no longer involved, leaving Star to cover the full cost. Star’s discomfort was evidenced by its earlier lobbying efforts to move the T20 World Cup from the USA and the Caribbean to India.
ZeeTV and Star are disputing their collapsed deal in the London Court of International Arbitration. Simultaneously, Star is being sold by Disney to Reliance Industries, which owns the broadcaster Viacom18.
Last year, the ICC rights deal funds were allocated with nearly 40% going to the BCCI (about $230 million per year), and varying percentages to other nations, including 7% to England, 6% to Australia, and under 3% to Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. While Australia and England have substantial domestic deals, most member countries rely heavily on ICC distributions, making any reduction potentially disastrous for nations like New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies.
