Niranjan Shah included in committee

New Delhi, June 28

In a surprise move, the BCCI today decided to include former Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) president Niranjan Shah as ‘Special Invitee’ in the newly-formed committee which will study the Lodha Panel reforms. 

What is inexplicable is Shah is 73 years old and has been running SCA for the last three decades and stands “disqualified on all counts” as per the reforms. 

In fact, a senior BCCI official said that Shah himself wanted to be a part of the committee and there was pressure from other 70-plus disqualified officials, who wanted representation in the committee. 

“Amitabh Chaudhary seems helpless as N Srinivasan has again started calling the shots. Niranjan Shah was insistent that he should be taken in the committee. Accordingly, he was included today and the number of members have now increased to eight,” a senior BCCI official told PTI today.

Something that many well-intentioned BCCI officials are unable to digest is that Shah’s career in cricket administration is finished but the Rajkot business magnet doesn’t want to give up. “If someone could tell us, what will be his utility in the committee apart from creating restrictions,” a senior state unit president said. — PTI