Will Choudhary bring change in fortunes for the BCCI ?

A former senior police police officer who has worked in Jamshedpur and Ranchi, Choudhary is known to be close to former BCCI President N. Srinivasan, who himself had been propped up by many BCCI members for the ICC Director’s post at the Special General Meeting (SGM) convened on April 9 in New Delhi.

On January 2, 2017, the Supreme Court, in its order, stated that Choudhary will discharge the duties of the Secretary after it removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as BCCI President and Secretary.

The decision of the Supreme Court to name Amitabh Choudhary (BCCI Jt. Secrertary) as the BCCI representative at the International Cricket Council (ICC) has ensured that an elected officer would attend the ICC Board meeting at Dubai on April 26 and the ICC Annual Conference after the Champions Trophy in June. On January 2, 2017, the Supreme Court, in its order, stated that Choudhary will discharge the duties of the Secretary after it removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as BCCI President and Secretary.

The BCCI was always represented by its President at the ICC and for reasons they know well, the BCCI’s affiliated units were not in favour of nominating C. K. Khanna (Senior Vice-President acting as President) to the powerful ICC Board.

Three and half months ago, the Supreme Court had named Vikram Limaye (Committee of Administrators), Amitabh Choudhary and Anirudh Chaudhry for the ICC meetings, but with the ICC rules stipulating that a full member Board can nominate only one person to the ICC Board and the ICC Chief Executives Committee, Limaye was inducted to the ICC Board and Choudhary attended the CEC meeting.

A former senior police police officer who has worked in Jamshedpur and Ranchi, Choudhary is known to be close to former BCCI President N. Srinivasan, who himself had been propped up by many BCCI members for the ICC Director’s post at the Special General Meeting (SGM) convened on April 9 in New Delhi. But the Srinivasan camp’s plans were disrupted when the rival group, not in favour of a disqualified official going to the ICC, positioned former India captain Sourav Ganguly as a strong rival. The SGM of April 9 which had four or five items on the agenda, was adjourned to April 18, with the office bearers announcing that the Supreme Court was to hear legal matters on April 11.

As a result of the adjourned SGM’s first item on the agenda (to nominate BCCI’s representative to the ICC) settled by the Supreme Court, the meeting at New Delhi on Tuesday would take place to pass a resolution nominating Choudhary to the ICC Board and the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri to the CEC. The former Secretary of the Saurashtra Cricket Secretary, Niranjan Shah, whose name figured at the Supreme Court hearing on Monday, said he will not attend the SGM. It’s unlikely that Srinivasan would represent TNCA at the meeting.

Will Choudhary’s nomination to the ICC Board l result in enhancement of BCCI’s share of ICC revenues ? A number of BCCI officials expressed happiness at the nomination of Choudhary, the former President of the Jharkhand Cricket Association (JCA), to the ICC Board. Sources said Choudhary and the ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar get on well and it’s possible that the ICC Board may agree to rework the revenue distribution pattern by $ 50 – 60 million and to the BCCI benefit, should Manohar take the initiative.