The Lodha Committee recommendations will force Sourav Ganguly — the administrator — to go into a cooling off period once his term at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) comes to an end in June. But that wouldn’t stop the former India skipper from being associated with the game.
Come June 1 and the CAB president is all set to return to the commentary box as one of the prime commentators for the ICC Champions Trophy in England. While Ganguly has remained tight-lipped about the development, sources close to the cricketer confirm that he will be leaving for London in June for his commentary assignment.
Sportstar has also learnt that the UK-based production company Sunset and Vine, which has acquired the rights for the world feed for the ICC events, has already struck a deal with Ganguly as one of the prime commentators. Along with him, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has also given his consent to do commentary for the tournament.
When contacted, the UK-based production house did not out-rightly deny such a possibility, but also refused to make it official. “The commentary team line-up for the ICC Champions Trophy is yet to be confirmed. Once this will be done, there will be an official announcement,” Greg Moore, head of Public Relations at Sunset and Vine, told Sportstar .
While there’s still doubt on whether Ganguly’s tenure as the CAB president will get over in the first week of June, sources close to the development confirm that this job will not come as a conflict of interest for the former India skipper. “This is an ICC event, and by the time the event starts, Ganguly’s tenure would almost be over,” a well-placed source said.
Though Ganguly remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts, sources close to the cricketer indicated that he will be leaving for England in the last week of May. But even as the CAB president gears up for a comeback to the broadcast arena, sources indicate that this could well be Ganguly’s one-off assignment. “As of now, this is a one-tournament signing,” the source stressed.
If things go as per plan, Ganguly will be returning to the commentary box after two years. The former India skipper had his last commentary assignment during the World Cup in Australia in 2015. So, when Virat Kohli’s men take the field in England to defend their title, the excitement would be no less for the television viewers either.
After all, it’s after two years that one of the most sought after voices of International cricket would be back behind the microphone!
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