India might lose hosting rights for 2021 Champions Trophy

Due to an ongoing tax issue, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has started looking for alternative venues for the two prestigious events - 2021 Champions Trophy and the 2023 World Cup - that are scheduled to be held in India.

It is learned that the governing bodies get tax exemptions from the host government for every major sporting tournament, but the ICC hasn't got any dispensation from the Indian government so far.

The ICC expressed its concern about it in a board meeting in Dubai on Friday, which was also attended by BCCI's acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary.

"The Board expressed their concern around the absence of a tax exemption from the Indian Government for ICC events held in India despite ongoing efforts from both the ICC and BCCI to secure the exemption which is standard practice for major sporting events around the world," ESPNcricinfo quoted ICC as saying.

According to ESPNcricinfo, ICC will suffer about 100-125 million USD loss if the Indian government fails to provide tax relief for two of the biggest global tournaments.

The ICC stated: "The Board agreed that the ICC management, supported by the BCCI, will continue dialogue with the Indian Government but in the meantime directed ICC management to explore alternative host countries in a similar time zone for the ICC Champions Trophy 2021.