Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has emerged as the consensus candidate to become the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s new President. This came amid the dramatic turn of events after Brijesh Patel appeared to have grabbed the coveted post.
Sourav Ganguly Set To Be New BCCI President
The last day of filing nominations is on October 14 i.e. today. Ganguly has filed his nomination papers at the BCCI headquarters on Monday (deadline day) after agreeing to take up only the president’s post in the BCCI. However, no election will be held as all candidates have emerged unopposed after weeks of hectic parleys.
Reportedly, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah will be the new secretary while Arun Dhumal will be the new treasurer. Dhumal is the younger brother of Minister of State (MoS) Finance and former BCCI president Anurag Thakur.
Ganguly, who is currently the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), has proved his credentials as a successful administrator in the last five years, since taking up the job. He will have to demit this position in September 2020 as he will go into compulsory cooling-off period. Ganguly will now have 10 months to revive the BCCI’s image before his cooling-off period of three years begins.
The choice for President’s post was always between Ganguly and Patel and the former was finally accepted as a unanimous candidate. Patel could become the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chairman.
Former Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly
Meanwhile, the Indian cricket board has had a tumultuous time in the last few years ever since the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators took charge. Allegations of corruption and irregularities in the day-to-day functioning of the board led to the top court appointing Vinod Rai, Vikram Limaye, Diana Edulji, and Ramachandra Guha in 2017 with their primary job being the implementation of the Lodha reforms in the board.
As the committee reduced to two members-only due to resignations and indifferences, Ganguly will now have to take charge of the situation along with Jay Shah, Brijesh Patel and Arun Dhumal as the possible secretary, IPL chairman and treasurer, respectively, and try to complete a job in 10 months which the CoA couldn’t in three years.
After the finalization of the name for BCCI President’s post in an informal meeting of BCCI state units, Ganguly said, “I am happy with the appointment because this is the time when BCCI’s image has got hampered and it’s a great opportunity for me to do something. Whether you are elected unopposed or otherwise, it’s a big responsibility because it is the biggest organization in the world of cricket. India is a powerhouse. It will be a challenge.”
Earlier, Ganguly drove the national team to safety and instilled the belief that India could win overseas after he became captain back in 2000 when Indian cricket was in muddy waters, picking up pieces after the match-fixing scandal. Now with BCCI’s clout significantly reduced at the ICC, the former skipper’s board-room tact will be at test.
Perhaps the board also needed someone of Ganguly’s stature to handle its affairs. Who better to understand and run the BCCI than the man who represented India in 113 Tests and 311 ODIs, scoring nearly 19,000 runs in international cricket.
