Former BCCI president IS Bindra, who gave financial heft to Indian cricket, dies

Former BCCI president and veteran administrator Inderjit Singh Bindra passed away at his residence in New Delhi today. Bindra was 84. His cremation will be held at 2pm on Monday at the Lodhi Cremation Ground.

Bindra, a former bureaucrat, was one of the leading faces of the BCCI in the 1990s, and, along with former president Jagmohan Dalmiya, changed the face of Indian cricket by generating revenue from television rights and roping in private broadcasters. He was also instrumental in bringing the 1987 and 1996 World Cup matches to India. Bindra, who was the president of the BCCI from 1993 to 1996, remained an influential figure till his retirement from cricket administration in 2014, and was the principal adviser to Sharad Pawar when he was the ICC president in 2010-12. He also played a key role in the development of the IPL.

“Inderjit worked with me before and during the period of Emergency. He was a truly outstanding officer, whose performance was exceptional whatever the task he handled. My heartfelt sympathy to Mrs Bindra and the family. May the departed soul rest in eternal peace,” said NN Vohra, the President of The Tribune Trust and former Governor of Jammu & Kashmir.

Bindra also remained the president of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) for 37 years. He helped reshape Punjab cricket, was instrumental in the construction of the PCA Stadium, which was renamed as IS Bindra PCA Stadium in 2015, in Mohali, and the planning of the new stadium in Mullanpur.

“He was the Deputy Commissioner of Patiala in 1974. In 1975, he became the vice-president of the PCA. In 1978, he became the president and served as the head till 2014. Under his leadership, Mohali hosted its first Test match in 1983, its first ODI in 1993 and consequently the historic India-Pakistan 2011 ODI World Cup match,” said GS Walia, former general secretary of PCA.