IPL Governing Council likely to be trimmed
The IPL Governing Council is likely to be trimmed to seven members - half its original size - at the BCCI's annual general meeting (AGM) tomorrow
ESPNcricinfo staff
28-Sep-2010
Lalit Modi could be formally ousted from the BCCI at the AGM • AFP
The IPL Governing Council is likely to be trimmed to seven members - half its original size - at the BCCI's annual general meeting (AGM) tomorrow.
The new seven-man panel will include two cricketers instead of the current three, with every council's tenure lasting for a year and not five as was announced when it was formed. The BCCI has been keen to cut the council down to size following the board's fallout with the IPL's suspended chairman Lalit Modi, who is now caught in a bitter battle over charges against him that include the misappropriation of funds.
Modi's successor, the interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin, will remain on the council, with Arun Jaitley, Rajiv Shukla and Niranjan Shah as his likely co-members. The council may also consist of either Jyotiraditya Scindia, Anurag Thakur or Farooq Abdullah. Of the three cricketers currently in the panel, one among Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri will be made to exit what is a lucrative post. A senior board functionary told ESPNcricinfo, "Ravi Shastri is certain to stay, but we are still thinking about the other two."
Originally, it was decided that the council would have five permanent members: Modi, IS Bindra, Shah, Jaitley and Shukla. But another source now indicated that the board has struck a deal with Bindra, taking a commitment from him that he would play no further role in the BCCI. The reason this has been done, it is believed, is because Bindra is the only one in the BCCI who has supported Modi after his suspension.
The AGM is expected to formalise Modi's exit from the BCCI in any capacity, after an eventful and controversial five years.
It is also expected that the schedule of New Zealand's tour of India will be announced, with the second Test being moved from Kanpur to Hyderabad and the second and third ODIs switching from Mohali and Hyderabad to, as is believed, Jaipur and Baroda.
In another late development, Shah filed his nomination for the vice-president's post as a representative for the West Zone and sealed the position as one of other main contenders. Maharashtra Cricket Association president Ajay Shirke could not attend the meeting to complete the formality.
Each of the five zones in the BCCI nominates a vice-president. Two vacancies emerged this year because the Central Zone's Modi is under suspension and West Zone's Amin had finished his maximum term of six years. Though Shukla was a certainty, the late arrival of Shah caught many board members unawares. But Shah has been one of the long-serving board members and, along with twice being board secretary, has occupied many posts.
Srinivasan gets strong backing for president-elect
The formalisation of Srinivasan as president-elect came through the nominations he received not only from the South Zone teams of Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Kerala but also three nominations from outside the zone - Saurashtra, Orissa and Jharkhand. Given that the next BCCI president after Srinivasan will have to be named from the East Zone, many believe Orissa and Jharkhand's involvement today gives an indication of a lining up of early loyalties with Srinivasan.