Under fire, BCCI could take drastic steps in SGM

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 29

Pushed to the wall, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) will be holding a Special General Meeting (SGM) in Mumbai on Friday to discuss implementation of the first set of changes recommended by the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee.

Another act of defiance by the BCCI would lead to possible contempt of court proceedings against BCCI top brass. Sources said that the SGM could witness mass resignations of the office-bearers who have been directly affected by the recommendations. Going by the current scenario, majority of the office-bearers in BCCI and its affiliated units are holding on to their positions in complete violation of the panel’s age-and-tenure recommendation.

There is also a possibility that BCCI could agree to amend its constitutions /memorandum of associations/rules and regulations/ bye-laws at the SGM. This is the first and foremost condition set by the Lodha panel and forms a crucial part of the first set of recommendations, which BCCI has to implement by September 30 midnight. The SGM could also decide to revoke all the decisions taken after the SC’s July 18 verdict like the appointment of the selectors, re-election of secretary Ajay Shirke, passing of annual budget for 2016-17 season, allowing Anurag Thakur to represent BCCI in ICC and the Asian Cricket Council and nominating Sharad Pawar as alternate director at ICC meetings.

The meeting could see the ouster of Gagan Khoda and Jatin Pranjpe from the newly-constituted five-member selection panel, which was constituted at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 21. Khoda and Pranjpe’s appointment was in direct violation of the panel’s recommendations, as they haven’t played a Test match. The panel has made it mandatory for a selector to have played Test cricket, while it also wanted the number of selectors to be restricted to three only.

BCCI could form a players’ association, make amendments to the IPL rules, decide which unit among Gujarat and Maharashtra will become the first full member on a rotational basis and initiating the process for registration of players’ agent — all part of the panel’s first set of changes.