While cricket is not popular the world over, it remains the second-largest sport after football. This is mainly due to a huge following in the sub-continent, and if there is one thing we know about big sports – they attract big money.
Today we are looking at the richest cricket boards in the world.
The New Zealand Cricket (NZC)
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The New Zealand Cricket Board sits at the bottom of our list. While it is the second most popular sport in the country after Rugby, they still rank poorly when stacked against their competitors. New Zealand cricketers do however earn big bucks playing for many T20 leagues across the world including India and Australia.
West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)
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The West Indies Cricket Board is a combination of many Caribbean cricket playing nations. While a powerful side since 1970, cricket has diminished as more popular American sports have captured the imagination of the youth. As such, the WICB has struggled to earn money and stay relevant.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC)
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Sri Lankan cricket, while widely regarded as top-class, suffers under severe financial pressures. The organization behind their cricket survives mostly on television rights and has often been unable to pay player salaries, much to the anger of the cricketers and the public.
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Cricket Australia (CA)
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Cricket Australia is a public limited company and is one of the richest sporting bodies in the country. Australian cricket has long been consistently excellent and is large focus of public attention. With the lucrative Big Bash league also bringing in tons of T20 fans, Cricket Australia looks incredibly healthy.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
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Despite the devastating effect terrorism has had on cricket in the country and the fact that home games need to be played in Dubai and other venues, the PCB has been doing well on the economic front. This may be due to the massive fan following and television rights and frequent foreign tours the team attends that guarantee cash flow.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
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One of the big three, the ECB is where cricket was born and the country follows all three forms of the game with keen interest. The ECB is also an investor in T20 cricket and, while its own leagues may not be franchise based, they are still incredibly lucrative.
Cricket South Africa (CSA)
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Despite high earnings, Cricket South Africa is spending far more than what they are earning. They are heavily dependent on television rights and other teams touring their country more frequently not, but the team is strong enough to carry the brand and that remains good news for them.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
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By a large margin, the BCCI is the richest board when it comes to cricket. There was a period when the BCCI was unable to pay their cricketers, but ever since India’s win at the 1983 World Cup, the sport has turned around. Their biggest moment came with the introduction of the IPL in 2008 and they have been minting money ever since.
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