Board of Control of Cricket in India Secretary Anurag Thakur said that the Indian Premier League's governing council is "likely to decide" on whether the '17 edition of the "cash-rich tournament can be held abroad," according to the PTI. Thakur said, "The IPL governing council will be looking at the venues in India and abroad. We have to check the availability of the venues and prevailing conditions." The IPL has "twice been played outside India, both being assembly election years." That the BCCI "top brass is deliberating on the issue was clear" when BCCI Treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary had tweeted, "Very soon IPL may be played outside the country, if this goes on. Loss to the GDP would not be insignificant." The BCCI secretary also said "in no uncertain terms" that if "the Lodha Committee recommendations pertaining to curtailment of advertisement is implemented, then it will have a sharp negative impact on BCCI’s revenue structure." Thakur said, "We will have to rethink about the gratis (pension) that is paid to ex-players (former Test and first-class cricketers)." It is also understood that current players, who get 26% of BCCI’s annual income in their salaries "may face a pay cut, so will the IPL franchises, which get a share of the revenue from the BCCI." In another move, the BCCI is "mulling on having a commentators' academy where those who would aspire a career behind the microphone will get to hone their skills" (PTI, 4/21).
