BCCI vs Shashank Manohar: Timeline of cricket's long-time rivalry off the field

International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Shashank Manohar stepped down from his post on Wednesday, June 1. Manohar was at the helm of the apex body since November 2015. Before taking up the ICC role, the Indian cricket administrator also served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) across two different stints.

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Shashank Manohar quits ICC: The saga of the BCCI vs Shashank Manohar rivalry

Former ICC chairman N Srinivasan, who also served as the BCCI President in the past, recently slammed “anti-Indian” Shashank Manohar in a scathing manner. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) owner publicly claimed that Manohar damaged cricket in India and reduced India’s significance in world cricket during his time as ICC chairman. It is reported that Shashank Manohar and BCCI have been at the loggerheads of each other for quite some time. Here is a look at the timeline of their off-field cricketing rivalry that has become the attraction of many headlines over the years.

Shashank Manohar gets replaced by N Srinivasan (2011)

Shashank Manohar was appointed as BCCI President for the first time in 2008, famously belonging to the Sharad Pawar-faction in the board back then. He was then replaced by N Srinivasan in 2011, through a decision made by the Indian board during a 2010 Annual General Meeting.

IPL spot-fixing scandal (2013)

The 2013 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was plagued by the spot-fixing scandal. While the players convicted turned out to be from Rajasthan Royals, the N Srinivasan-owned and MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also endured their share of the brunt in the controversy. N Srinivasan’s son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested on charges of betting and cheating. The Supreme Court had to get involved in the running of the BCCI's affairs, which was a huge dent to Srinivasan's presidency.

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N Srinivasan ousted as BCCI President, joins ICC (2014)

In 2014, N Srinivasan got replaced by veteran cricket administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya as BCCI President. However, Srinivasan was appointed as the first chairman of the ICC on June 26, 2014. During his reign as the chairman of the apex body, Srinivasan introduced the ‘Big Three’ model for the ICC's finances. The ‘Big Three’ comprised of cricketing giants like India, Australia and England.

The idea behind the ‘Big Three’ model was reported to be a bid for generating higher revenues for the ICC. The model was also churned out to grant maximum revenues to firstly India, secondly England and thirdly Australia followed by nations such as Pakistan and South Africa, depending on the broadcast rights and revenues they bring to the table.

Shashank Manohar replaces N Srinivasan as ICC Chairman, dismantles ‘Big Three’ (2015-16)

Shashank Manohar then took over the role of ICC chairman from N Srinivasan in November 2015. Moreover, he assumed BCCI Presidency in the same month, thus becoming the most recognised force among cricket administrators. Using his power, he dismantled ‘Big Three’ model and flayed the imbalance of power within the governing body. Shashank Manohar was eventually removed as BCCI President in 2016 as per Supreme Court orders. However, he continued his stay with the ICC. During his tenure, the apex body started demanding tax exemptions from the BCCI. This put BCCI in more trouble than before as it was ruled by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators led by Vinod Rai.

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Startling revelations put Shashank Manohar in bad light (2018)

In 2018, secretary of the unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar Aditya Verma claimed that he was pressurised by Shashank Manohar to help him remove N Srinivasan as BCCI President in 2015. It was Aditya Verma’s petition in the Supreme Court that led to the ouster of N Srinivasan due to his franchise’s involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. Verma claimed that he was promised work by Shashank Manohar, which remained unfulfilled and added that going against the CSK owner was the “biggest mistake” of his life. He also claimed that he never saw a more “power-hungry” person than Manohar.

Sourav Ganguly becomes BCCI President (2019)

Sourav Ganguly gets elected as BCCI President in October 2019. During a general meeting in the same month, the BCCI expressed their eagerness to have their representative in the ICC committee formed by Shashank Manohar to suggest a new governance model. The ICC reportedly wanted this model to begin as soon as possible and had planned to include more women in administration. The BCCI, while completely opposing the ICC’s model of governance, wanted to establish its own authority. In the process of doing so, the Indian board began opposing Manohar's extension as ICC chairman.

Shashank Manohar quits ICC chairman post (2020)

A new year continued with ICC’s constant pressurising of BCCI to grant tax exemptions for the hosting of 2021 T20 World Cup and 2023 50-overs World Cup. Moreover, the apex body even sent out a letter threatening to take away the hosting rights from BCCI. Meanwhile, the Sourav Ganguly-led Indian board kept asking for a time extension due to India lockdown and coronavirus global pandemic. On July 1, 2020, the Shashank Manohar quits ICC speculations proved to be true, i.e. a week prior before his term-end.

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Image credits: BCCI Twitter