Sources in the Sports Ministry said on Tuesday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be included in the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 which will be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament.
The Bill will be tabled in Parliament this week. Though BCCI doesn’t get government funds, its inclusion in the bill was expected especially with India’s participation in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
According to a source, BCCI will be governed by the sports bill and all federations will have to comply with the rules.
Officials said the National Sports Governance Bill will resolve issues like frequent litigations over NSF elections and athlete selections, no dedicated dispute resolution forum, weak athlete representation in federations, gender imbalance in sports leadership and no standard electoral process across federations.
It will also address financial secrecy and poor governance in NSFs and no internal grievance redressal system.
The Bill will establish a legal framework for sports bodies to function fairly and transparently and athlete representation in decisions.
It will provide quick dispute resolution through a Sports Tribunal and fair and transparent elections through an election panel. According to officials, the government’s role will be to assist not control.
BCCI is in charge of all cricket in India – domestic and international. BCCI is the richest cricket body and has a lot of influence in international cricket.
India’s 1983 World Cup win inspired BCCI to bid for 1987 World Cup which was the first edition to be held outside England. The event was a huge success.
Since then India has won many ICC tournaments in various formats. BCCI has played a big role in governing global cricket, launched the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s largest T20 league and one of the biggest sports league. Also, it has launched the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
Last month, the Union Cabinet, led by PM Narendra Modi, approved the National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025, a big initiative to change the sporting landscape of the country and empower people through sports.
The new policy replaces the National Sports Policy of 2001 and has a roadmap to make India a global sporting power and a strong contender for excellence in international events like 2036 Olympics.