Key objectives and vision for Indian sports

National Sports Policy 2025 is not a mere piece of paper that is lying around. It is a game changer with aspirations to make India a sporting powerhouse.

Fundamentally, the policy is meant to increase the number of Olympic medals that India wins and to establish a culture where sports have become an everyday activity. Think of this, a nation of 1.4 billion people getting a very few Olympic medals? This issue was addressed in this policy.

The vision? Simple but powerful: sports for all, sports for excellence. The policy plans to discover talent early, especially in rural areas where potential champions often go unnoticed. It’s about creating pathways from school playgrounds to international podiums.

What’s refreshing is the policy’s focus on traditional Indian sports too. Kabaddi, kho-kho – they are not only a cultural sports passed down but have the potential to win medals with the right backing. Sport development and governance framework

Framework for sports development and governance

The structure is not complex – it is functional. The policy establishes a three tier system that has distinct roles:

The era of duplication of duties and throwing blame on others has passed. The policy also sets performance-based accountability measures to the sports administrators.

One of the outstanding features is the establishment of a new National Sports Commission – a sports, rather than bureaucrat, body of experts. They will award it on sports ability, and not on political affiliation.

The policy also addresses the subject of autonomy directly. Sports federations are granted operational freedom, but must adhere to transparency rules. There will be no more fiefdoms running sports as personal businesses.

Funding mechanisms and resource allocation

Money talks in sports, and the policy finally addresses this with smart funding models.

The days of last-minute Olympic funding are over. The policy establishes a dedicated Sports Development Fund with committed annual allocations. Athletes won’t need to beg for training support anymore.

The major boost to the participation of the private sector is through:

• Sports investment tax breaks
• The priorities of CSR to sports programs
• The models of the training centers with the participation of the state and investors

The performance-based funding model is smart. Those sports that bring results are allocated more resources and this causes healthy competition among federations. Grassroots is not lost to the policy.

The policy doesn’t forget grassroots either. A minimum 30% of funding must support developmental programs – not just elite athletes.

Integration with existing sports infrastructure

The problem with India’s sports infrastructure is not a lack of facilities, but rather underutilised and badly maintained ones.  The policy addresses this head on.  School and college facilities will be offered to the public after hours, doubling utilisation rates overnight.  Every stadium built with public funds must provide public access during defined hours. The policy sets up regional centres of high performance as opposed to focusing everything on Delhi. Athletes will no longer need to move to another part of the country. The idea of smart integration with the educational system presupposes that schools that focus on sports are given special attention and funding. Student-athletes now have academic freedom without sacrificing education.  Digital integration pulls everything together, including a national sports database that tracks facilities, participants, and coaches.  No more excuses for talent going through the cracks.

Integration with existing sports infrastructure

The problem with India’s sports infrastructure is not a lack of facilities, but rather underutilised and badly maintained ones.  The policy addresses this head on.  School and college facilities will be offered to the public after hours, doubling utilisation rates overnight.  Every stadium built with public funds must provide public access during defined hours. The policy sets up regional centres of high performance as opposed to focusing everything on Delhi. Athletes will no longer need to move to another part of the country. The idea of smart integration with the educational system presupposes that schools that focus on sports are given special attention and funding. Student-athletes now have academic freedom without sacrificing education.  Digital integration pulls everything together, including a national sports database that tracks facilities, participants, and coaches.  No more excuses for talent going through the cracks.

BCCI’s Current Position in Indian Sports

Governance structure and autonomy

The BCCI operates in the manner of a powerful private club. Unlike most national sports organisations, they have steadfastly maintained their independence from government supervision.  What’s their structure?  A network of state cricket associations that elect representatives to the Supreme Council.  This autonomy is not only on paper.  The BCCI has always opposed any kind of outside control, and it fought like a tiger against government interference. Recall the time when the proposals of the Lodha Committee tried to enhance their governance? Tooth and nail did the BCCI hold out against itself. They have never been beating around the bush: we finance ourselves, we have developed cricket in India, and why then should others take control of us?  And truly there is not much to argue with their success.

Financial dominance and revenue generation

Cricket money in India is insane.  The BCCI has a worth of over 2 billion dollars, and thus it is by far the wealthiest cricket board in the world.  So where is all this cash?  The media rights of IPL collected $6.2 billion alone in five years.

When you have massive sponsorship deals, ticket sales and retail sales, you have a financial powerhouse that makes other sport federations pale in comparison as small time businesses.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) earns a lot of money through various ways. Indian premier league (IPL) broadcasting rights alone are worth about 6.2 billion between 2023 and 2027 which makes it one of the richest deals in the world of sport.

Moreover, Team India has a sponsorship which brings in an annual figure of around 200 million dollars as the Indian cricket is such a strong brand. Additionally, the revenue sharing of International Cricket Council (ICC) offers another stable source of revenue, which gives the BCCI a sum of approximately 230 million per annum.

This financial power gives them unmatched leverage in decision-making across Indian sports.

Cricket’s privileged status in the Indian sports ecosystem

In India, cricket is more or less a religion and not just a game. And this is the cultural phenomenon with which the BCCI has been cashing in with a masterstroke.

Whilst Olympic sports are struggling to offer basic facilities, cricket has its state of the art stadiums in most major cities.The average cricket player earns far more than athletes in other sports.  What of visibility gap?Even sharper.  Celebrity Cricket, prime-time television and front-page newspaper coverage all enjoy far more than their fair share of endorsements.

This is a positive feedback loop: increased exposure will lead to more fans and more fans will lead to more money, more money leads to better facilities and growth, which leads to more success, etc.

International influence and partnerships

The BCCI does not only reign supreme in their own country; they are the force to reckon with in international cricket as well. Their voting strength at ICC cannot be matched and they usually decide the destiny of the international tournaments and the policy thereof.

This gave the lion share of ICC revenue to the “Big Three” arrangement with England and Australia to provide funds to these boards. This was later amended but it illustrated the bargaining strength of BCCI.

They are influential outside the administration of cricket. The Indian players hardly ever get a chance to play in other T20 leagues in the foreign countries but the foreign players are dependent on IPL contracts to maintain their financial conditions. This constitutes a one-sided dependence that further provides BCCI with another advantage.

Current regulatory framework

Despite their autonomous stance, the BCCI does operate within a regulatory framework – just one they’ve shaped to their advantage.

They are technically covered by the Sports Act, although there has been poor enforcement at best. The reforms that came with the Lodha Committee report and were ordered by the Supreme Court have been applied in a pick and choose fashion.

Their interactions with the government are not easy either, as they are independent, but also cooperate when the interests are similar. The BCCI has strategically managed to be a privately managed organization when it comes to being regulated and a quasi-national organization when it is presenting India in international events.

This gray area in regulation has been effective to them as they have had the freedom to operate and yet cricket has remained the de facto national sport of India.

Potential Impact of National Sports Policy on BCCI

Changes in governance and accountability measures

The BCCI has been functioning as a small kingdom. With the National Sports Policy 2025 looming, that’s about to change – and boy, is it going to be messy.

For starters, the policy aims to bring all sports bodies under a standardized governance framework. The BCCI has dodged these bullets for decades, insisting they’re a private body despite essentially functioning as India’s cricket authority.

Remember how BCCI officials used to secure comfortable, long-term positions?  These days are numbered.  Term limits and age restrictions, similar to those ordered by the Supreme Court in the Lodha Committee recommendations, are likely to become necessary.

No more presidents and secretaries regarding their posts as family heirlooms. The policy will probably also require transparent selection processes.  No more mystery selection committee judgements made behind closed doors.  Cricket fans deserve to know why their favourite player was dropped, don’t they?  Financial openness is another potential shock.

The treasure trove of the BCCI (worth billions) will need to be properly accounted, regularly audited and exposed. All the rupees spent on the pompous stadium reconstruction? Accounted for.

Revenue sharing and redistribution considerations

Other sports in India are just keeping their head above water whereas the BCCI is swimming in money.

The new policy will not allow that to be the case.

Cricket accounts for about 93% of overall sports revenue in India – an absurdly skewed proportion. The policy will inevitably dictate some revenue sharing with the other national sporting federations. The BCCI response?

Maybe something like having to give up their favorite toy.

Broadcast rights? That is the real gold. The policy may support a centralised system of negotiation of the broadcast rights, the money divided in a more even keel between the sports. The BCCI’s exclusive arrangements worth running into crores of thousands will be restructured.

Where is the grass-roots cricket? The policy is likely to need massive investment in development projects in every state and not just the cricket strong holds. It means reduced money in IPL shows and increased money on the children who are playing in the dusty grounds of the small towns.

Compliance requirements and challenges

The transitional period will be awkward, such as a teenager in puberty.

To start with: administrative rearrangement. The current committees, methods of appointment and decision-making processes of the BCCI will have to be severely reformed. We are dealing with an institution that still functions in a retrograde fashion as though it were the year 1983.

State cricket associations – notoriously resistant to change – will face compliance requirements too. Standardized financial reporting, governance structures, and operational transparency aren’t exactly their strong suits.

The real kicker? The legal battles. The BCCI has historically challenged government interference, arguing cricket is a private activity. They’ve got deep pockets and deeper connections – expect courtroom dramas that last longer than a Test match.

Implementation timelines will be another headache. Overnight compliance is impossible for an organization as massive as the BCCI. Phased implementation may be a feasible option but every increment will be questioned by the lovers of cricket and other sports federations who will be crying foul.

Areas of Potential Collaboration

A. Talent development and grassroots programs

The talent scouting machine of the BCCI is only a dream of other sports federations. They have mastered the art of unearthing raw cricket talent in all nooks and corners of India, be it the big metros or small villages.

Then what would happen with this expertise when it crosses disciplines within the sport? Crosspollination can be realized through the National Sports Policy 2025.The BCCI could help other federations design age-group tournaments similar to their under-19 and under-23 systems that have consistently produced world-class cricketers.

And the same happens the other way around. Most Olympic sports contain more scientific training techniques that cricket can use. Just think of what could happen when Indian cricketers use the flexibility training of the gymnasts or the power development techniques of explosive power of an athlete.

The NCA ( National Cricket Academy ) of the BCCI could be extended to a multi-sport talent centre with individual wings of each sport sharing facilities and maintaining their own development pathways.

B. Infrastructure sharing opportunities

Cricket has the best sporting infrastructure in India. Period.

Those stadiums that are world class and are empty when there is no match? They may accommodate volleyball games, basketball competitions or serve as training grounds of sports during off-seasons.

The training complexes of the BCCI – their modern equipment, recovery and medical centers

– would be useful to various sports. Most Olympic sports struggle with basic training infrastructure, while cricket facilities often remain underutilized.

See what was witnessed when the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi was being refurbished in preparation of the Commonwealth Games. Multiple sports benefited for years afterward. The same model could work with cricket stadiums across the country.

C. Knowledge transfer and best practices

BCCI did not grow to be a billion dollar corporation by chance. They have business savvy, television medium sponsorship management strategies, rights negotiation playbook are gold mines of knowledge that other federations are in desperate need of.In the meantime, anti-doping programs, international cooperation structures and gender equity policies may be better in Olympic sports organizations that can be used as an example by cricket.

All sports could be lifted by regular workshops, staff exchanges and strategy meetings. There is no need to reinvent the wheel when your neighbor already constructed a Ferrari.Regular workshops, personnel exchanges, and joint strategy sessions could lift all sports. Why reinvent the wheel when your neighbor has already built a Ferrari?

D. Cross-sport promotional activities

Cricket stars have a massive following. A single Instagram post from Virat Kohli reaches more people than most Olympic sports’ entire marketing budgets could ever dream of.

Cross-promotional campaigns featuring cricketers alongside athletes from other sports could work wonders. Just imagine Rohit Sharma advertising hockey games, and Harmanpreet Kaur motivating girls to learn a new sport, wrestling.

Even the IPL format itself may enthuse multi-sport leagues in which team franchises invest in multiple sporting areas and offer continuously enjoyable interaction with both the fans and sponsors.

It has the framework in the National Sports Policy 2025. It is now the matter of filling the old gap between cricket and other sports.

Challenges and Controversies

A. Autonomy vs. regulatory oversight tensions

The tug-of-war between BCCI and the government isn’t new, but the National Sports Policy 2025 just cranked it up a notch.

The BCCI has always prided itself on its autonomy. They’ve built an empire worth billions without government funding. Their argument? “We are not taking your money, why should we obey your rules?”

Meanwhile, the government sees cricket as India’s heartbeat – a national asset that deserves oversight. Their stance is pretty straightforward: “No organization should be above accountability, especially one managing India’s most beloved sport.”

So what is the actual point of friction? Sports Code has age limitation, tenure limitation and RTI compliance. The officials of the BCCI have in many instances served a long period and in some cases decades. Many are way past the age limits that the strategy aims to impose.  The international aspect of this clash adds to its tenseness.  The ICC has severe regulations against  Government intervention in cricket boards.  When the government attempted such steps in the past, the BCCI used the ICC code as a shield, warning of potential international sanctions.

 B. Financial implications for cricket and other sports

The money talk gets uncomfortable fast.

BCCI’s financial muscle is no joke – we’re talking about an organization with reserves exceeding

₹18,000 crore. The IPL alone generates billions annually. Their tax-exempt status has been a golden goose.

If the National Sports Policy forces BCCI under government oversight, several financial dominoes could fall and:

• Tax benefits might shrink or vanish
• Revenue allocation could be redirected toward Olympic sports
• Commercial decisions might require government approval, slowing deals

The other side of this coin affects every other sport in India. Over the last few decades, they have seen cricket devour most of the corporate sponsorships and media time. The policy will help in the establishment of a more balanced ecosystem where badminton, hockey and athletics will have their shot.

This table shows the reality:

 Conclusion

The National Sports Policy 2025 is a turning point in the Indian sporting governance system, and the implications of such a policy are far reaching amongst the organisations like the BCCI. In the above description, it can be seen that the policy aims at creating a more organized, transparent, and inclusive sporting landscape, whereas the BCCI, in its autonomous structure and financial availability, has opportunities as well as a challenge in this evolving situation. Cooperation like sharing of grassroots infrastructure and welfare of athletes can enhance Indian non-cricket sports. In future, this relationship will only be successful when a right balance is struck between the scrutiny of regulators and organisational independence. The two organisations need to focus on popularising sports in India with concrete concerns on administration and execution being put forth. The proposed roadmap presents a consultative process that would be progressive thereby considering the privileged nature of BCCI as well as advancing national sports agenda. To the players, fans and other stakeholders in the sporting arena, this new dawn holds a brighter and much integrated future to Indian sports.

Author:–Mohan Sainanda Reddy Koduri,  in case of any queries please contact/write back to us at support@ipandlegalfilings.com or   IP & Legal Filing.

References

• Government of India, Draft National Sports Policy 2025
• Supreme Court of India, Lodha Committee Report on BCCI reforms
• Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official reports
• International Cricket Council (ICC) governance and revenue-sharing models
• Sports Authority of India publications