Mumbai: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief-in-exile N Srinivasan is in a bit of a spot. The Supreme Court caught him off guard on Thursday by barring him from contesting in BCCI elections because he has commercial interests in an IPL team – Chennai Super Kings (CSK). So, what are the options left with Srinivasan now?
With not much choice, Srinivasan has to decide whether he will remain with his team or run for the BCCI president’s post.
If he chooses to remain with the team, there will be further questions raised on his ‘hunger for money and glamour’. After the whole betting episode involving his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, he may choose to clean up the image of the franchise by being a part or disown it for the ‘taint’ it brought on him.
On the other hand, if he chooses to run after the top job in BCCI, he will be termed as ‘hungry for power’. There are already murmurs among dignitaries who are foreseeing a better future for the sport in his absence. It is unlikely that he will be welcome if he runs for the post.
But, with Cricket Association of Bengal president Jagmohan Dalmiya extending his support for Srinivasan, along with six units of the East Zone, he may just escape the ‘curse’ of former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar and company. Pawar thinks they can formulate better administrative policies in his absence.
Dalmiya, another former president of the board, had himself faced accusations of financial misdemeanour in the PILCOM accounts during the 1996 World Cup hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
It is also surprising that Dalmiya, who earlier felt hesitant to support Srinivasan, suddenly came out all guns blazing in Srini’s support.
Being held at gunpoint for almost one-and-a-half years now, it turns out that his conflict of interest issues has remained, being the only wall between him and the cricket board job. The top court, while giving a verdict on the IPL spot-fixing case on Thursday, has clearly stated that a BCCI official cannot own a team.
Srinivasan stepped aside as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday, June 2 last year, pending an investigation by the board into Meiyappan's alleged involvement in betting/spot fixing.
