The drum-beats for the most powerful positions in Karnataka cricket have begun in right earnest.
In a press conference at the Bangalore Palace here on Saturday, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and Brijesh Patel jointly declared that they would contest the elections to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) slated for December 1.
In the past, the factions led by Wadiyar and Patel have contested against each other in the KSCA elections. However, a patch-up was initiated in the last few months and with the current office-bearers — president Anil Kumble and secretary Javagal Srinath — stressing that they will not contest the polls, Wadiyar and Patel are keen to wrest back their earlier positions.
Their combined election manifesto focussed on reviving the now defunct Karnataka Premier League (KPL) Twenty20 tournament besides “improving the game’s infrastructure” both at Bangalore’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and in rural areas. It was a theme that Kumble and company also worked hard upon in their present three-year tenure that is now drawing to a close.
Wadiyar said his committee, if elected, would focus on developing the game across the State. “We will ensure that infrastructure is improved judiciously at reasonable costs and knowing Brijesh, all expenses will be scanned a 100 times,” Wadiyar said.
Big tournament
Patel added: “The KPL was a big tournament and gave exposure to a lot of players. I know it is difficult after a three-year break but we will do our best to revive it.”
Besides Wadiyar and Patel, the other candidates from the group are Sudhakar Rao, Ashok Anand and Sanjay Desai (all three for vice-president’s post) and Dayananda Pai (for treasurer).
