BCCI AGM: No questions on Ganguly’s ‘conflict of interest’ issue
Some members who attended the meeting claimed they had “informal” discussions with the BCCI chief, but no objections were raised during the meeting.
Published : Dec 24, 2020 18:15 IST
As the affiliate units of the BCCI met for the 89th Annual General Meeting in Ahmedabad on Thursday, there were no questions on Sourav Ganguly's alleged 'conflict of interest' issue.
Even though some of the members who attended the meeting claimed they had “informal” discussions with the former India captain, no objections were raised during the meeting.
In fact, affiliates from most of the State units told Sportstar that the meeting went ahead smoothly under the leadership of Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah. “It was a very smooth meeting. There were no problems at all. Dada (Ganguly) and Jay bhai ensured that all the queries were answered, since there is too much uncertainty,” one of the State unit chiefs from the west zone, said. "The conflict of interest issue was never on the agenda, and there were no word on it."
“There were questions on what will happen if there was no domestic season? Jay bhai assured that the stakeholders will be compensated in case the season is curtailed. That’s a very good move,” another State unit president said.
It was decided that if things fell in place, the women’s tournaments and the junior-level competitions could be organised for March-April, 2021, when the men’s team will be busy with the IPL. “It all depends on the COVID-19 situation then,” a veteran BCCI official said.
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Ahead of the meeting, there were speculations that one of the six office-bearers could well question Ganguly over his endorsement spree – Ganguly has sometimes even endorsed brands that are direct competitors of BCCI’s sponsors - since taking over the reins in October, 2019.
However, Wednesday’s exhibition match between President XI and Secretary XI at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Motera was an indication that things could be brushed under the carpet for now.
Rao quits
Ahead of the AGM, one of the top Board officials, K. V. P. Rao, quit. While the BCCI officials refused to give out a specific reason behind Rao’s resignation, they confirmed that he had already put in his papers on Tuesday after being “asked to leave.”
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The 55-year-old Rao is a former Bihar captain and has been associated with the BCCI over a decade, having handled the cricketing operations at the domestic level and at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. As a manager, Rao worked under the Late M. V. Sridhar and Saba Karim when they served in separate terms as General Manager, Cricket Operations. Saba Karim is also serving his notice period after having resigned a few months ago.
In his parting letter, Rao claimed that his contract was terminated by the Board on December 22.
The BCCI is set to start its domestic season from January 10, with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and it is expected that the Board will appoint a new General Manager soon. For now, the State units have been informed about a restructuring and have been told to communicate with two top officials, including interim CEO Hemang Amin, for any queries related to the domestic tournaments.