Fabric of BCCI can’t be compromised: IPL governing council member Ajay Shirke

“We won’t mind implementing the recommendations which are for the betterment of Indian cricket and the game. As per the previous Supreme Court order itself, the recommendations are not binding on the BCCI. We believe the honourable court will assess the whole thing and will give us an opportunity to be heard (if we have any reservations against the report). But obviously we won’t implement anything that is against the fabric and heritage of the BCCI and the game,” Shirke told The Indian Express.

Though they haven’t received any leads on what might actually be part of the committee’s report, the anxiety levels within the BCCI have gone up a notch after a few media reports claimed to have unearthed recommendations by the committee that could potentially alter the dynamics of the board. Two specific points that were part of those newspaper reports seem to have left the BCCI in bad taste. One to do with the suggestion that each state can only have a single representative and the other to do with barring politicians and non-cricketers from administering the sport.

“The BCCI is older than (independent) India and the associations were in existence prior to the creation of states in the country. They can’t be disbanded. You can’t have one state, one association rule. Likewise, you can’t force the cricket board officials to leave state associations,” said Shirke.

‘Politicians’ contribution’

The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) chief also added that the law of the land didn’t allow stopping independent candidates from contesting the BCCI elections. “Just look at the contribution that the politicians and independent people, from S Wankhede, NKP Salve to Jagmohan Dalmiya and Sharad Pawar, made to the cricket board and Indian cricket. They made it a global powerhouse,” he said.

The BCCI though is learnt to be peeved with the Lodha commission’s decision to go public with their recommendations rather than using the old norm of passing it on in a sealed envelope. “Many commissions have been formed in independent India – Shah Commission, Srikrishna Commission. Those dealt with a lot more serious issues. So my understanding is that making the whole thing public through a press conference perhaps goes beyond the protocol,” said another senior official.

While the conflict of interest issue has been the biggest bugbear for the BCCI in their fight to regain credibility, former BCCI secretary and present National Cricket Academy (NCA) chairman Niranjan Shah, is confident that the board has done its bit already to deal with the scourge.

“Even an independent ombudsman has been appointed. And as our president said, there was no point dragging it to an absurd level. The BCCI has also become a lot more transparent. From our balance sheet to IPL salary structure; everything is put on public domain,” said Shah.

Shirke, meanwhile, also insisted that while there are many voices baying for the Lodha committee to come down hard on the BCCI and its power, it shouldn’t be forgotten that cricket in India is run by a body that is not only worth over Rs 10,000 crore but also the envy of the cricket world with many foreign bodies aspiring to replicate its success.

“These are eminent juries and I believe they won’t be oblivious to the BCCI’s history and its contribution to the game. This is a body that earns Rs 400 crore in foreign exchange every year. We have contributed Rs 1,600 crore in direct taxes to national exchequer over the last five years. The BCCI has also created assets over Rs 10,000 crore in the last 10 years in terms of building stadiums and infrastructure. It wouldn’t have happened if the organisation was poorly managed or shabbily run,” he said.

Meanwhile, a member of the BCCI legal panel explained that theoretically the board held the right to present its case in the same court if it felt aggrieved by the recommendations. “But we must wait for the report. If the BCCI finds it acceptable, the recommendations will be implemented,” he said.