The BCCI president and all that…

October 04, 2015 01:26 am | Updated November 16, 2021 04:11 pm IST - Mumbai:

Old-time cricket administrators have often wondered how people like M. Chinnaswamy and S. Sriraman managed the BCCI’s affairs when high-profile marketing committees did not exist, and when spending the extra penny pinched. Then there was Seshrao Wankhede, who used to crack light-hearted jokes at press conferences, the most famous being: “It’s eight thirsty, and time to move on.”

There are also stories about Fatehsinghrao ‘Jackie’ Baroda’s lavish parties thrown for international teams in Baroda. They and many more wore the BCCI president’s hat, and the common refrain was that the BCCI functioned in a most democratic manner with more bonhomie among members and not as much politics.

These days, the BCCI president virtually has the last word on many matters with things changing dramatically from 1993-94 when the BCCI’s bottom line turned black, recovering from a Rs. 93 lakh deficit. As Indian cricket moved from the Sunil Gavaskar era to the Sachin Tendulkar era, the BCCI laughed its way to the bank, thanks to the marketing of the game by the likes of Jagmohan Dalmiya and Inder Singh Bindra.

Dalmiya also made the BCCI annual elections a matter of prestige, bringing in the element of intrigue that divided member units. It has not changed much with full-member representatives finding it difficult not to be aligned with a particular faction. Dalmiya ruled from 1983 to 2005. Then Sharad Pawar, Shashank Manohar and N. Srinivasan played their part with Lalit Modi ejected from this group because of IPL-related malpractices.

The advent of Pawar also saw the election pattern change from a one-year office to a two-year tenure, with an AGM-approved additional third year.

As a result, the position of the BCCI president became exalted and very important. He was virtually the custodian of several crores of rupees generated by global broadcast of home international matches and the sponsorships of series, team and apparel. This altogether fetches the BCCI close to Rs. 45 crore per match, be it Twenty20I, ODI or Test match cricket. The IPL has only augmented the BCCI revenue stream.

So, with the BCCI becoming financially independent, its Working Committee, president and secretary have risen in stature, and the explosion of electronic media has made them more visible.

But it’s a handful of clauses in the BCCI’s Memorandum and Rules and Regulations that makes the president a powerful individual.

He presides over the AGM, SGM and Working Committee, which is the all-powerful decision-making committee of the BCCI. He also has the power to take action in case of any misconduct on the part of the players and the right to approve national teams selected by the selection committee, as well as the power to postpone or cancel the SGM or Working Committee, Standing Committee or any other committee.

The president has a vote when a division is called and a casting vote to settle a tied decision. Furthermore, he’s the chairman of the Disciplinary and Constitutional Review Committees.

The last three occupants of the president’s chair have done some good work; Pawar felt that money in the bank will only accrue interest, and hence decided to increase the infrastructure development support from Rs. 4 crore to Rs. 50 crore. But, the promised state of the art medical centre in Mumbai has just remained an idea.

His successor, Manohar, ordered the cancellation of IPL Invitation to Tender saying they were rigged, and got the BCCI to pass a resolution that mandated the nomination of the IPL governing chairman at every AGM. Manohar was party to the termination of the IMG contract after the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 and reinstating the sports and event management company on reduced terms.

There are friends of N. Srinivasan in the BCCI who believe that his contribution has been outstanding as treasurer, secretary and president, and that if he had stepped down on moral grounds following the arrest of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, he would have been elected president for the 2014-17 period under the new election rules that specifies a straight three-year term for principal office bearers and vice-presidents.

The new president who will be elected on Sunday has some work to do to streamline affairs and improve the BCCI’s integrity; he will have the powers to set right many matters.

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