Job cuts loom at ICC, not due to lack of funds but style of functioning

MUMBAI: Soon after striking a lucrative $1.9 billion telecast rights deal with Star Sports, the ICC, world cricket’s governing body, is considering job cuts.

The TV rights with Star, other sponsors and commercial partners are expected to fetch $2.5 billion in the next FTP cycle (2016-23) yet retrenchment looms at the ICC headquarters in Dubai.

The man behind the cutback is IPL COO Sundar Raman. In his report submitted at the recentlyconcluded ICC meeting, Raman has sought job cuts across departments. From finance, commercial sponsorship to production, a strong stricture has been passed to cut staff size by 40 per cent over the

THE TV RIGHTS AND SPONSORS ARE EXPECTED TO FETCH $2.5 BILLION YET RETRENCHMENT LOOMS

next four months. HT has learnt that the cut has nothing to do with lack of funds or operational costs. It is about the style of functioning which didn’t find favour with the current chairman N Srinivasan.

Sundar Raman, who has been accompanying Srinivasan to ICC meetings for the last two years, has in no uncertain terms stated that it is time to prune teams and “extra unnecessary staffing” needs to be taken care of.

According to sources, there is panic as most of the employees are from outside the UAE. “In the event of someone losing his job, it becomes difficult to stay in Dubai as government rules don’t permit them to stay without work. Children’s education will also get affected. There is a panic situation amongst staff who have started exploring options,” said an insider.

A BCCI official confirmed the development. “There are too many people for one job, most of them don’t have much to do,” he said. It is learnt that Sundar Raman, who is the de facto in charge of most ICC issues, is keen to have the staff of his choice in the ICC that can work in sync with Srinivasan’s team. The HR committee of the ICC will meet in January to take stock of employee strength and performance of various positions will be assessed.