CSK demerger, Duncan’s successor and now the Anurag-Srini fight! But where is cricket?

Mumbai: The recent tragedy in earthquake-stricken Nepal is probably not the only reason to subdue the enthusiasm and adrenaline of India’s cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur and tainted ICC chairman N Srinivasan are now daggers drawn over Chennai Super Kings’ demerger from the IPL.

It all started with the Working Committee meeting that was held recently in Kolkata, a stage that saw the first stormy chapter to this now all-out war. And more politics happened at that meeting. Here is a recap of it all:

Charges, allegations, the show goes on…

Was it tit-for-tat recently between ICC chief Srinivasan and BCCI boss Jagmohan Dalmiya? The IPL’s governing body meeting earlier this month had refused to support the demerger of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from India Cements which is headed by Srinivasan.

According to reports, Thakur was seen socialising with suspected bookie Karan Gilhotra, whose name appears in the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Safety Unit (ACSU) database. But surprisingly, the BCCI despite acknowledging the letter refused to respond to the world body’s allegations. To add to that, the BCCI countered back, this time against Srinivasan, who during his stint as president, has been accused of snooping against members of the board.

Read: N Srinivasan tapped phones, tracked e-mails of BCCI members?

Reportedly, Srinivasan paid a whopping Rs 14 crore from the BCCI’s coffers to the spying agency to do the job.

What about Chennai Super Kings?

It remains to be seen, and was one of the biggest issues raised at the meeting, the demerger of CSK. Now Srinivasan is also the vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements, which owns CSK. Initially, the issue was brought to light during the IPL governing council meeting in New Delhi. The biggest bone of contention is the valuation of the franchise, which its owners put at Rs.5 lakh.

Rajiv Shukla, the head of the governing council, did not accept the valuation and stalled the approval of the transfer of shares. The BCCI, according to its rules, is eligible for five per cent of the sale price of any team, which in this case is Rs 25,000.

The working committee decided to seek a fresh legal opinion on the demerger and transfer of shares of CSK for further action.

Who will take over after Duncan Fletcher?

The BCCI has begun the process to appoint Team India’s next coach and support staff after the completion of its IPL commitments. Duncan Fletcher, who was appointed India coach in 2011, completed his stint after the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

An advisory committee has been set up comprising prominent veterans from the game including Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, who according to sources, will find Indian cricket team’s new coach and the support staff.

The trio will provide inputs to BCCI president Dalmiya and Thakur. The fate of support staff that includes Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar is also yet to be known.

While former cricketers have willingly accepted to join the country’s governing body, why not have an entire governing body of former veterans, who understand the sport better and have had first hand knowledge and experience of the game, up close and personal?

What happens to Champions League T20?

The fate of the Champions League T20 is almost in doldrums as it’s learnt that the BCCI is not very keen on continuing with the tournament, which has been dubbed the international edition of the IPL. The tournament, which began in 2009, has failed to attract advertisers for the broadcast rights holder Star Sports, resulting in significant losses.

Read: Do we really need Champions League T20?

There have many developments post the Working Committee meeting, what’s intriguingly alarming is the fact that the ‘suspected’ bookie Karan Gilhotra goes to matches, is quite pally with Indian cricketers and attends after parties.

There is even a photo of Gilhotra with Yuvraj Singh dated September 2012 at what appears to be an even hosted by noted watchmaker Ulysse Nardin.

(Photo: Facebook)

There’s also a political angle to this whirlwind story. Thakur, who also happens to be a BJP MP, has been slammed by the opposition (Congress here) from all corners and reportedly, activists of the Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress burnt an effigy of him for his alleged links to Gilhotra even as the state Congress Committee has urged the BCCI to take against him.

Check out: Anurag Thakur slams N Srinivasan in explosive letter

Now, the Congress has latched on to a report of BJP MP Thakur socialising with a suspected bookie to demand probe by an independent agency into the link between him, BCCI and the bookies.

Cricket, that has always been a glamorous sport has been marred by controversies, spot-fixing scandals alike but it’s a sad story when the sport’s governing body itself ventures into being politically correct and at the same time staying away from any such maligning stories that in totality malign the sport altogether. Bring sporting personalities into this whole scenario and a tactical gambit might just bear fruits in the end.