New Delhi/Bangalore, Jun 2: Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla on Saturday became the third Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)?office-bearer to resign from his post, on the eve of a working committee meeting of the board.
The meeting may force BCCI?president N Srinivasan to resign in the wake of the recent scandals hitting the cash-rich league.
Shukla’s decision to quit is the latest setback for Srinivasan, who has already been isolated by his trusted officials, with two of whom—secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke—resigning on Friday.
While there were demands for Srinivasan to resign on moral grounds following the arrest of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan for his alleged involvement in betting, questions were also raised over Shukla continuing as the IPL chairman.
“I have decided to quit as the IPL chairman. It is a decision which I was pondering over for some time. I think it is time to step down,” Shukla said on Saturday. Shukla said he took the decision in view of the recent controversies and in the interest of cricket. “Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke resigned in the best interest of Indian cricket. I thought this is the right time,” he added.
In the backdrop of the latest development, Srinivasan’s exit as the BCCI chief appears imminent, with senior board members leaving him with no choice but to convene the working committee meeting, where he is expected to step down. Srinivasan has reportedly set some conditions before stepping down.
The 68-year-old apparently wants to be reinstated if he comes out clean after the probe into the Meiyappan case and continue representing India in the ICC meetings. He also demanded that Jagdale and Shirke should not feature in the new panel as they had “ditched” him.
A majority of the members are not in favour of dumping the duo on the grounds that th¬ey had done nothing wrong and the next president has the discretion to reject their resign¬a¬tions. Jagdale, however, has made it clear that he has no int¬e¬ntion of coming back into the BCCI fold again.
However, the demand that he should be all¬o¬¬wed to represent the BCCI in the ICC meetings could be considered as a concession to Srinivasan.
The working committee meeting was originally schedu¬l¬ed for next Saturday. This is the second working committee meeting in the last 15 days, with the first one being held soon after the arrest of Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila.
The other important issue that will come up for discussion is the status of the three-member inquiry commission. One of the members, Jagdale, has resigned. With a retired judge on the panel, T Jayaram Chouta, saying that the inquiry can’t be held because of Jagdale’s resignation, the board will have to name a replacement.
Power play
SRINIVASAN’S TERMS
* Reinstatement if he comes out clean after the probe
* He be allowed to represent India in the ICC meetings
* Jagdale and Shirke should not be in the new panel as they had “ditched” him
in line for top job
FRONT-RUNNERS: Former BCCI President Shashank Manohar and Board’s senior vice-president Arun Jaitley
INTERIM
ARRANGEMENT:
The name of Manohar, known as a clean, non-controversial figure, has been doing the rouds for some time
STRONG
CONTENDER:
Jaitley remains a strong contender
STOP-GAP ARRANGEMENT:
Former ICC and BCCI president Sharad Pawar may step in as a stop-gap arrangement.
It has already met with opposition from the Cricket Association of Bengal which has floated the name of its own president Jagmohan Dalmiya as a possible successor to Srinivasan
Comments
Add new comment