Published 12:16 IST, October 14th 2019
Sourav Ganguly vows to prioritize first-class cricketers' interests
Sourav Ganguly set to be the new President of the BCCI and says that improving the pay standards in first-class cricket will be his top priority.
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Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is all set to be elected as the new Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President. From October 23, the BCCI goes back to being a democracy after three years of being managed by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA). Ganguly, the current head of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), is likely to be elected unopposed for Indian cricket's top job.
However, Ganguly's appointment will be only for 11 months as he has to undergo a necessary cooling off period from July 2020 according to the new rules set by the Supreme Court. He has been holding different posts in the CAB for the last 5 years and currently is its President. An administrator can only serve six years in a row.
After his name was finalized in an informal BCCI meeting, Ganguly said that he accepts the rule and shall deal with it. In an interview with a leading media portal, he mentioned that as the President of the BCCI, his first priority will always be to look after first-class cricketers. He claimed that he had earlier requested the COA to do so but they did not pay heed to his suggestions. His immediate focus will be on the Ranji Trophy & financial interests of cricketers participating in it.
Brijesh Patel, the new chairman of the IPL Governing Council
Karnataka's Brijesh Patel was backed by former BCCI President N Srinivasan for Ganguly's post earlier. However, he is now expected to be the chairman of the IPL Governing Council. Jay Shah, the son of Union Minister Amit Shah, is likely to be the secretary. Arun Singh Thakur from Himachal Pradesh is set to become the treasurer. According to a leading media house, all the approved associations have come together and made these decisions unanimously. As a result, these candidates are expected to be elected unopposed in the October 23 elections. They are expected to file their nominations on Monday, October 14.
As the former captain of the Indian cricket team, Ganguly is renowned for bringing Indian cricket out of a tough phase in the early 2000s when it suffered from a massive match-fixing scandal. Not only did he ensure Indian cricket's safety but it also took it to greater heights by backing more young players and instilling a strong belief in the team that they can win anywhere in the world across all formats of the game. Come 2019, Ganguly seems to be the right man to take over its reins. However, his contribution remains to be seen considering that he has 11 months to make an impact.
10:09 IST, October 14th 2019