Come 2010,Sourav set to take on Dalmiya in CAB elections

“I don’t think he will be contesting this year. If that would have been case,it would have been known to us. But eventually he would get into cricket administration,” Sourav’s elder brother Snehashis Ganguly told The Indian Express.

Asked if Sourav’s IPL commitment is a reason for not contesting this year,Snehashis said: “No,IPL has nothing to do with it. BCCI rules don’t bar any IPL player to contest for an administrative post. Maybe the time is not opportune yet. But there’s a strong possibility that he will throw his hat in the ring next year.”

The birthday boy,Sourav turned 37 on Wednesday,himself dropped enough hint that he was coming to cricket administration sooner rather than later.

“I want to be a part of cricket in Bengal. I will take one step at a time…don’t know what lies ahead,” he said in Mumbai.

“I have stopped playing cricket six months ago. I would be connected to cricket. Bengal has a lot of talent and I want to take care of it,” he added.

Speculation is rife that the former Indian captain might use CAB as a platform to eventually become the BCCI president when East Zone’s turn comes in 2014. As per the BCCI constitution,he would require to attend at least two BCCI annual general meetings to contest for the president’s post.

Sourav has time and again indicated that he is not very happy with the way Bengal cricket has been run by the CAB under its present dispensation. He had also questioned Jagmohan Dalmiya’s leadership when he publicly threw his weight behind former CAB president Prasun Mukherjee in 2006. Mukherjee lost to Dalmiya that year but eventually became the CAB president when Dalmiya was expelled by the BCCI. Dalmiya won the court battle against the Board and returned to power defeating Mukherjee last year.

Dalmiya today side-stepped the question when asked about the Sourav issue. “I have nothing to say. This has been done to create a controversy and I am not getting into it,” he said. About the coming elections,he said: “I don’t have any idea whether they (opposition group) will fight for any post this time. I also don’t have any clue about who could be their candidate.”

A story is doing the rounds in the power corridors of the CAB that Dalmiya doesn’t enjoy the complete command in the administration anymore. Former BCCI joint-secretary Gautam Dasgupta and former CAB joint-secretary Bablu Koley — who were close to Dalmiya not very long ago have broken away.

Present joint-secretary Biswarup Dey,however,claimed that the Dalmiya group still has the “overwhelming majority” over its opposition.

But the opposition group is making significant overture to unsettle the incumbent. Recently they tried to persuade Union Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed to contest for the president’s post in the coming election. Ahmed,though didn’t agree citing his ministerial commitments,but said that Sourav would be a better choice.

“Sourav is young. He would usher in fresh ideas. If somebody,who is better than Dalmiya,takes charge of Bengal cricket it would be good for the game in the state,” Ahmed told this daily.

The opposition group also reportedly approached former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to contest against Dalmiya but didn’t get a favourable response.