Decision on banned players by month-end

Madhavan will submit his report by November 15 after questioning the concerned players Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Ajay Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar and Nayan Mongia as also former physiotherapist Ali Irani.

While, the board chief did not want to disclose the date and venue of the meeting, one of the summoned cricketers who did not want to be named said it would be at Chennai on November 12.

The disciplinary committee would then discuss the report and its recommendation will go to the board which will summon at the month-end a meeting of its Working Committee or a special general assembly to take a decision on the matter.

Incidentally, there is a change in the compostion of the three-member disciplinary committee headed by Muthiah himself. With one of the members Kamal Morarka abroad, another vice-president C K Khanna has been co-opted to join Muthiah and Ram Prasad, the board president said. Muthiah, who had adversely reacted to certain comments on the functioning of the board by CBI, said the “point by point” reply would also be considered at the meeting before it is sent to the Sports Ministry.

Asked about the players’ objections to the CBI report like the board had, Muthiah said they were at liberty to take necerssary steps for redressal.

“The board doesn’t come into the picture,” he added.Asked if a change of the sports minister at the centre would affect the ongoing investigation, particularly in view of the rapport he had established with former minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Muthiah said the taking over of that office by Uma Bharti would not affect it as “individuals may change but institutions go on.”