Roger Binny, member of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team, is set to become the next president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), succeeding former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
Binny, who has served as the head of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), confirmed to Sportstar that he filed his nomination on Tuesday along with some other members.
With Ganguly not given another term as the president, it is evident that Binny will be elected unopposed as the head of the Board during its Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on October 18.
Jay Shah to remain secretary
Ever since the Supreme Court relaxed the cooling off period, there were speculations that secretary Jay Shah would take over as the president. But Shah will continue in his current position.
Rajeev Shukla, one of the veteran administrators, will remain the vice-president of the association. Mumbai’s BJP strongman Ashish Shelar has filed his nomination as the treasurer, with Assam’s Devajit Saikia serving as the joint secretary.
Shelar had filed his nomination for the president’s position at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). But there is a possibility that he might withdraw his candidature for the MCA role on October 14, which is the last date for withdrawal of nominations. The candidate for the position of MCA chief is former India international and Binny’s teammate Sandeep Patil.
Arun Dhumal, who was earlier the treasurer of the BCCI, is set to take over as the IPL Governing Council chairman - a profile held by Brijesh Patel earlier. The other member of the Governing Council is Avishek Dalmiya. The son of late Jagmohan Dalmiya, Avishek was not the official representative of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in the AGM. But the constitution allows a non-representative to become an elected member of the Governing Council. The members in the BCCI believe that Dalmiya’s experience of leading the CAB will help.
Sources in the BCCI also indicated that Ganguly was offered the role of IPL Governing Council chairman. But given the fact that it would have meant moving back to being the head of a sub-committee, he wasn’t keen on the offer. And after Ganguly’s decision, Dhumal’s name was proposed for the position.
No clarity
However, there is no clarity on whether Ganguly will eventually be nominated as the BCCI-backed candidate for ICC chairman. Ganguly, who arrived in Mumbai late on Monday, had a round of meetings with several stakeholders.
“When the AGM happens on October 18, it will be decided who will represent us in the ICC,” Shukla told reporters after filing his nomination.
Ganguly, too, maintained his silence on the issue and left the BCCI headquarters, avoiding questions from the media.
‘Good thing’
Last week, Sportstar had reported about Binny landing an important role in the BCCI. With Ganguly not preferred, the BCCI members wanted a former cricketer to replace him, and the 67-year-old Binny was considered the right man for the job.
Binny played 27 Test matches and bagged 47 wickets between 1979 and 1987. He also played 72 ODIs between 1980 and 1987, but his crowning moment was the 1983 World Cup, where he claimed 18 wickets in eight outings.
The scrutiny of the nominations will be held on October 13, and the candidates can withdraw their nominations till the next day.
“It is a good thing if we can all come to a conclusion and mutual understanding and choose the right people. Nothing can be better than this,” Shukla said, while explaining about the selection process for the candidates.
Vengsarkar, Shubhangi in fray
Former India internationals Dilip Vengsarkar and Shubhangi Kulkarni will contest for BCCI’s apex council post via Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA). The revised BCCI constitution allows two former cricketers - male and female - to be part of the apex council. The BCCI members on Tuesday elected Khairul Jamal Majumdar, aka Mamon Majumdar, as the elected member for the apex council, while the two other spots will be filled by the elected representatives of the ICA.
Earlier, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy were the ICA representatives in the BCCI apex council. But with Gaekwad turning 70 last month, he is ineligible to hold a post in the BCCI.
Roger Binny, pictured here at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai, is a member of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team. | Photo Credit: SHAYAN ACHARYA
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