Kochi risks losing rights to host Kerala Blaster's ISL matches

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi - the home ground for fan favourite Kerala Blasters, is at the risk of losing the rights to host the Indian Super League (ISL) matches.

As per a report in Times of India, the Kochi Municipal Corporation is mulling to stop giving the license to host ISL matches in the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium following Kerala Blasters' failure to pay entertainment tax for the games played in the arena.

The corporation is also understood to have written a letter to the owners of the stadium urging them to ask the franchise to pay the tax. They are also reported to have sent a letter to the team which has gone unanswered.

This comes just weeks after the Thiruvananthapuram corporation had sent a letter to the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) asking the state body to pay the entertainment tax for a T20I held in the city between India and West Indies in 2019.

What is an entertainment tax?

Entertainment tax is a form of tax imposed on any commercial entertainment events like movie tickets, concerts, sports events etc.