We have tried our best to reform IPL: Anurag Thakur

Launching Chinese mobile brand Vivo Mobiles as the IPL sponsors, Thakur spoke about the recent developments in the IPL.

BCCI Secretart Anurag Thakur (right) and Vivo Mobiles India CEO Alex Feng during sponsorship launch.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, on Monday, said the Indian Premier League was affected by some of the “recent developments” but the Board is struggling to make it better. Launching Chinese mobile brand Vivo Mobiles as the IPL sponsors, Thakur spoke about the recent developments in the IPL.

On the recent controversies: If you look at the history of cricket, there have been ups and downs but yes, we have become stronger with every passing phase. So has the IPL. As far as branding is concerned, I personally feel yes, we got a hit. In the last couple of years, we have struggled, but we have brought reforms in the last few months and it has paid off.

On BCCI’s focus on reforming the IPL: You can’t create success stories overnight and you can’t clean up the mess overnight but I assure you in the last seven months, we have tried our best to bring in reforms. Our focus was not on the individual but the institution. Cricket is the most loved sport in this country and we understand our role. I can assure you and the cricket loving fraternity that we are here to deliver. People have faith in cricket and in the BCCI. We can deliver, I can assure you that.

On conflict of interest : We wanted to draw a line where anyone who has a conflict of interest – as a coach, as a player, as an administrator. We are trying to create a paper (guidelines) to make it more clear for all members to come back with ideas and clarifications, which will be discussed in the upcoming Annual General Meeting on November 9 [where the number of players to be retained for two years by the new franchises will be decided].

On the new franchises: In the last working committee meeting we made it very clear that we are going to implement the Lodha Committee report in toto. The two suspended teams will remain suspended for the next two years; players will go back into the pool. We are still working on those guidelines and will come out with a detailed report at the AGM about how many players can be retained by the two new franchises for the next two years. Once we prepare that list, we will make it public.