BCCI AGM likely to discuss fate of India’s tour to South Africa

The fate of India’s upcoming tour of South Africa will be addressed when the BCCI holds its 90th Annual General Meeting on Saturday.

The BCCI may announce the date on which the IPL auction will be held.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to decide the fate of India’s tour of South Africa when it meets in Kolkata for the 90 Annual General Meeting on Saturday.

While several sources in the Board have indicated that they are in regular conversations with Cricket South Africa and the government, there is a high chance of the tour getting delayed. The heavily-mutated Omicron variant of COVID-19 was identified last month in South Africa, and cases have spiked in the country significantly over the last 24 hours. While several countries have imposed travel restrictions to South Africa, the Indian players, too, are awaiting clarity.

Even though the series is not part of the Annual General Meeting’s original agenda, it can be brought up while discussing the Indian team’s Future Tours Programme (Point ‘T’ in the Board’s 24-point agenda).

ALSO READ - Kohli: Confident there will be clarity soon on India’s tour of South Africa

The Indian team is scheduled to depart for South Africa on the night of December 8, but so far, the national selection committee hasn’t even announced the squads, indicating that the tour is most likely to be shortened.

The Test series is scheduled to begin on December 17. The three-match series will be followed by as many ODIs and T20Is.

According to the agenda, which has been sent to the State associations, there would be discussions on the senior men’s team's performance in the T20 World Cup in the UAE and matters related to the National Cricket Academy would also be deliberated on.

While the contract renewal for the selectors will be up for discussion, the appointment of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) staff - V. V. S. Laxman, Troy Cooley and others - will be officially approved.

Ombudsman to be appointed

The Board will also appoint an Ombudsman and Ethics Officer. The Board has been without an Ombudsman since June this year after Justice (retired) D. K. Jain’s term expired. According to points ‘I’ and ‘J’ in the agenda, the Ombudsman will be appointed and also the Cricket and Standing Committees will be appointed.

Patel, Majumdar set to be re-elected unopposed

It is understood that Brijesh Patel and Khairul Jamal Majumdar will be re-elected unopposed as the members of the Indian Premier League Governing Council, while Pragyan Ojha will continue as player's representative.

The 24-point agenda A. Confirmation of the minutes of the 89 AGM held in Ahmedabad on December 24, 2020. B. Confirmation of the Minutes of the SGM held on May 29, 2021 via video conference. C. Election of two representatives of the General body in the IPL Governing Council. D. Induction/appointment of the following members of the Governing Council - a. Two representatives of the General Body; b. One representative of the ICA. E. Adoption of the Report of the secretary for the year 2020-21 under review. F. Adoption of the treasurer’s report and the audited accounts for the year - FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21. G. Adoption of the Annual Budget for the year FYI 2021-22. H. Appointment of the auditor or auditors for FY 2021-22 and fix their remuneration. I. Appointment of the Ombudsman and Ethics Officer J. Appointment of the Cricket Committees and Standing Committees as mentioned in Rules 26 and 25 respectively. K. Appointment of the umpires’ committee. L. Consideration of - a. the report and recommendations of the Apex Council, the CEO and the Committees and to propose policy directions of the Apex Council; b. the report and the recommendations of the Governing Council and to propose policy directions to the GC; c. the reports of the ombudsman and ethics officer. M. Consideration of any motion, notice whereof given by a Full-Member to the secretary, 21 days before the meeting. N. To appoint BCCI’s representatives to the ICC and similar organisations. O. To update on ICC matters. P. To update on the NCA matters. Q. To update on the infrastructure development undertaken by the BCCI in the Northeast region. R. To update on BCCI’s domestic season 2021-22. S. To update on the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. T. To update on India’s Future Tour Programmes. U. To update on matters related to the appointment of staff for India’s senior men’s team. V. To update on the appointment on selectors. W. Consideration of any business, which the president may consider necessary to be included in the agenda. X. Transaction of any other business of an informal character as maybe permitted by the Chairperson.