Asia Cup hosts, media rights on agenda as Asian Cricket Council prepares for AGM

The Annual General Meetings (AGM) of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is scheduled to take place on Wednesday (January 31) and Thursday (February 1) and numerous topics are up for discussion including the hosts for the next edition of the Asia Cup and its media rights distribution.

The AGM is slated to be organised in Bali, Indonesia and will be headed by the ACC President Jay Shah, who is also the incumbent secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

One of the most pivotal points which will be up for debate is the potential host for the next edition of the Asia Cup and its format. The previous edition was jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and Pakistan and was played in the 50-over format because of the tournament preceding the 50-over World Cup.

The hybrid model saw the light of day due to the conflict between the BCCI and PCB. The tournament was originally slated to be played in Pakistan but the BCCI wasn’t ready to send its players because of security concerns and the political tension that exists between the two countries.

Ultimately, only three games of the Group stage were organised in Pakistan. The curtain raiser was played at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan between Pakistan and Nepal. The two other games of the Pakistan leg of the tournament were played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore between Bangladesh and Afghanistan and Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

The AGM may also lead to a decision on the media rights. A new player might burst onto the scene as there are several contenders who have their eyes fixed on bagging the rights to the ACC events. With the Men’s Asia Cup considered the most valuable asset up for grabs, the bidding war can be as intense as it could get.