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Tag: N Srinivasan

  • Indian cricket’s Rocky Balboa – Jagmohan Dalmiya passes away

    Indian cricket’s Rocky Balboa – Jagmohan Dalmiya passes away

    MUMBAI: The man had a lot of problems with India not hosting any big cricket tournament in its own backyard, the man who actually understood how big a business cricket is, the man who played a pivotal role in making the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest cricket body in the world, the master of comebacks, the real politick – Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of BCCI, aged 75 died due to gastro intestinal bleeding on 20 September. He had been hospitalised since Thursday following a cardiac arrest.

     

    In the year 1979, Jagmohan Dalmiya – the son of construction tycoon Dalmiya and Co family joined BCCI, but he came in the forefront after winning the holding rights of world cricket’s biggest tournament – the World Cup in 1987. 

     

    At an early stage of his administrative career, he understood the value of making money, from advertisements between the overs to on-field sponsors, Dalmiya was instrumental in playing out every such initiative. 

     

    His opponents took many routes to oust him but true fighter that he was, Dalmiya made a come back each time. In 2006, he was accused of “misappropriation of funds” and was thrown out of all BCCI administrative posts. Media pundits claimed his administrative career to be clinically dead and a new era was welcomed under politician Sharad Pawar. 

     

    However, the game of the king of comebacks, was anything but over. Dalmiya overcame all obstacles with ease, hunger and political smartness. A year later in 2007 he made a comeback as president of Cricket Association of Bengal. In 2013 he took up the role of BCCI acting president when N Srinivasan was forced to step aside. In 2015 he became BCCI president again.

     

    His fights were not limited to cricket administration. Even off the field, whenever needed he made notable appearances to fight for his players. In the 2001 South Africa tour, several Indian players were reprimanded by English referee Mike Denness, which was backed by ICC chief executive Malcom Speed. But Dalmiya decided to back his players and it turned out to be a war between Dalmiya and rest. The result was overwhelming. The third test for which the players were reprimanded became an unofficial one, other than the ban on Virender Sehwag, all other bans were lifted. The most important and notable outcome of the entire Denness Affair was that the Englishman managed to officiate in only two test matches and three ODIs. Post that, his contract was never renewed by the ICC.

     

    Dalmiya was at the forefront of many creations but what arguably will remain as one of the biggest creation of his would be cricketer Sourav Ganguly. Many still say that the master class batsmen would have never worn the national jersey if Dalmiya was not there in the administration. It was he who played a vital role in Ganguly’s debut.

     

    Many BCCI leaders will tweet and give news bytes condoling his death, but the only way to respect his contribution will be by bringing utmost transparency in the board’s administration. 

     

    Rest in Peace Mr. Dalmiya!

  • IPL: Justice Lodha committee bans CSK, Rajasthan Royals for two years

    IPL: Justice Lodha committee bans CSK, Rajasthan Royals for two years

    MUMBAI: In a landmark judgement, which has come as a major blow to the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Supreme Court appointed Justice Lodha Committee has suggested that two teams namely Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) be suspended for two years from playing in the cash-rich tourney.

     

    Moreover, Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of ex-BCCI chief and CSK owner N Srinivasan, and Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra have also been suspended for five years from involvement in any type of cricket matches with the BCCI. Additionally, Meiyappan and Kundra have been banned for life from any cricketing activity as they have violated the rules of IPL and cricket.

     

    “The purity of the game has been affected by the actions of India Cements and CSK. Fans have been cheated. India Cements did not take any action against Meiyappan. I propose to impose sanctions on India Cement’s franchise by suspending it from the league for two years. RR can’t shrink responsibility by saying Kundra acted in personal capacity. RR is also suspended for two years from IPL,” Justice Lodha said.

     

    Informing the media that Meiyappan suffered a loss of Rs 60 lakh in bets, Justice Lodha said that Meiyappan’s passion for the game was questionable and that he put the game into disrepute as a team official.

     

    “Three RR players were arrested for charges of fixing in 2013. Also a player was approached this year. This shows all is not well in RR. The purity of game must remain central to cricket,” he added.
     

    Speaking about the future of the two franchisees that have been suspended, Justice Lodha said that it was for the BCCI to decide whether CSK or RR will be bought by another franchise.

     

    Clarifying that the committee had not decided any criminal liability, Justice Lodha said that the committee had acted on behalf of BCCI. “The law will take its own course. No criminal liability has been decided by us,” he said.

     

    The Lodha Committee was appointed by a Supreme Court Bench on 22 January. Its verdict will be final and binding on the BCCI, the promoters and owners of the IPL.

     

    The IPL match fixing scandal came to light in May 2013 when the Delhi Police arrested three Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan for being involved in match fixing.

     

    Pertinent to note here is that the broadcasting rights of IPL, which currently vest with Multi Screen Media (MSM), are slated to come up for bidding in 2016-17. MSM had the rights to the T20 tourney for a period of nine years, which is up to 2017. Whether this landmark outcome of the 2013 match-fixing scandal will have an impact on the bidding price remains to be seen.

  • ICC suspends USA Cricket Association membership

    ICC suspends USA Cricket Association membership

    MUMBAI: International Cricket Council (ICC) Board, exercising its power under Article 2.7 of the ICC’s Articles of Association, has unanimously decided to suspend the membership of the USA Cricket Association (USACA) with immediate effect.

     

    The decision to suspend USACA was made after careful consideration of the findings set out in a recently constituted review group report to the ICC Board on the Status and Activities of USACA – a comprehensive document based on input from over 100 stakeholders, including USACA – and followed a meeting with USACA representatives during the ICC Annual Conference week.

     

    The Review Group, in its comprehensive report, has expressed “significant concerns about the governance, finance, reputation and cricketing activities of USACA.”

     

    The suspension means that USACA will not be entitled to receive any ICC funding nor will it be entitled to determine whether cricket matches and events staged in the US should have the status of approved or disapproved cricket. Instead, the ICC will make that determination, in accordance with Section 32.2 of the ICC Operating Manual.

     

    However, the ICC Board, in its absolute discretion and considering that the players should not suffer due to this suspension, has confirmed it will allow the USA cricket team to participate in next month’s ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 in Ireland and Scotland. The USA U19 team will also be permitted to play in the upcoming Americas U19 Championship in Bermuda.

     

    ICC chairman N.Srinivasan said, “The ICC Board has made this difficult decision after careful consideration and in the best interest of the game and all cricketers in the USA. The country has tremendous potential but because of governance, financial and cricketing challenges, the opportunity to grow the game is not being properly nurtured. The ICC Board had put USACA on notice in its January meeting this year and had hoped that it would show some urgency to address and improve in the areas that were identified as weaknesses. Unfortunately, the response to date has been inadequate and it has proved necessary for the ICC Board to take further action.”

     

    In order to have its suspension lifted and its membership reinstated, USACA will be required to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the ICC Board, by reference to detailed and specific evidence, that conditions relating to governance, finance and its cricket activities have been addressed and remedied in full.

     

    As part of the follow-up to the Board’s decision, the ICC chief executive – assisted by the management and representatives of the BCCI, CA, ECB and the WICB – will assume responsibility for monitoring USACA’s efforts to satisfy the reinstatement conditions on an ongoing basis. The same group will also seek to support the development of a meaningful strategy for the future promotion and development of cricket in the USA, including through the appointment of a locally-based advisory group and unification of all stakeholders.

  • Zaheer Abbas becomes new ICC president

    Zaheer Abbas becomes new ICC president

    MUMBAI: International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas as the new ICC president. The announcement was made during the ongoing ICC Annual Conference week in Barbados.

     

    Abbas who has already begun his one-year term, thanked the ICC board and the full council for confirming his nomination. He said, “I feel truly honored and humbled to be appointed as the president of the governing body of our great game. This is the sport which has given us friendship, respect, recognition and an opportunity to serve our countries in different capacities. Personally speaking, it has given me more than I can ever possibly repay.”

     

    He further added, “I am thankful to all of you for the support and confidence placed in me by confirming my nomination. I am also grateful to the PCB for proposing my candidacy as the ICC president. I assure you all that I will stand shoulder to shoulder with all the ICC members as we continue to strive to inspire more and more people to fall in love with the game we cherish.”

     

    ICC chairman N.Srinivasan said, “Zaheer’s outstanding career as a stylish right-handed batsman is reflected in his remarkable record with 108 first-class hundreds and more than 7,500 international runs. Zaheer is clearly an iconic cricketer who always played the game with skill, flair and in the true spirit. He is a worthy ambassador of our great game.”

     

    Abbas, 67, played 78 Tests and 62 ODIs from 1969 to 1985 in which he scored 5,062 and 2,572 runs, respectively. He also played in the 1975, 1979 and 1983 ICC Cricket World Cups and captained Pakistan in 14 Tests and 13 ODIs. With 108 centuries, Abbas is the only Asian batsman to score a century of first-class centuries as he finished his 22-year career with 34,843 runs.

     

    He was also an ICC match referee in the 1993 series between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Sri Lanka.

  • Jagmohan Dalmiya is Rocky Balboa of India

    Jagmohan Dalmiya is Rocky Balboa of India

    BCCI elections are always overhyped. Sometimes the hype even crosses the level of Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections. It is impossible to make out who is supporting whom, who is foe and who is friend. N. Srinivasan joined hands with Sharad Pawar and Ranbir Singh Mahendra to dethrone Jagmohan Dalmiya in 2004 and now 10 years later Srinivasan seconding Dalmiya is indeed unpredictable. Isn’t it?

     

    Unless Sharad Pawar is certain that he is going to win the election, he won’t contest it and that’s what exactly happened. It’s nothing new. Every time during BCCI elections we see such mutual understandings or adjustments. I would term it old wine in new bottle.

     

    Indian cricket has reached an abysmal low with so much of judicial introspection and legal obligations and it is highly important to regain the integrity of the game. Officials need to plan and act so that they can earn back the faith of cricket lovers, like me, who follow the sport. Why do we need a Supreme Court to intervene when there is a Board and its legal bodies and guidelines? The first priority of the board should be ensuring the fans that they are following a clean sport.

     

    Now the newly elected President is not someone new to BCCI, neither is he a politician. He has proved himself in numerous occasions. It was Dalmiya along with I S Bindra who won the rights for hosting World Cup in South Asia. When he joined BCCI it was not a very rich body, but when he left, BCCI was the richest cricket board of the world. His contribution to ICC is also of very high standard. Overall he is a veteran cricket administrator, who has adequate knowledge of the sport. He has all the potential to repair the damage done; he did it in the past too. Indian cricket was brutally affected by match fixing in 1999 -2000 but he got people’s faith back to the game. I have high expectations from Jagmohan Dalmiya as a liberal and unbiased cricket analyst and I hope he delivers. I will end with a comparison, Jagmohan Dalmiya is Rocky Balboa of India, no matter how much you try to pin him down he always gets up to deliver the knockout blow.

     

    (These are purely personal views of Former first class cricketer and a veteran cricket analyst Hemant Kenkre and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • Enforcement Directorate issues show cause to BCCI, IPL, MSM, WSG

    Enforcement Directorate issues show cause to BCCI, IPL, MSM, WSG

    MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a show cause notice against Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian Premier League (IPL), their officials and private multimedia firms for alleged contravention of forex laws in awarding a cricketing media rights contract in 2009. The ED has slapped a charge of Rs 425 crore for the same on the entities.

     

    The notices have been issued to close to ten individuals and entities, which include former BCCI boss N Srinivasan, the then IPL chairman Lalit Modi, chief operating officer (COO) Sunder Raman, and the officials of World Sports Group (WSG) and Multi Screen Media (MSM) for allegedly and fraudulently “manipulating” the contract and hence making illegal payments.

     

    The notices were served when the entire country was celebrating India’s win over Pakistan in the World Cup and witnessing the Pepsi IPL 2015 auction.

     

    It was in 2008 when the BCCI awarded the 10-year media rights to WSG on payment of $918 million. In the same year, WSG also entered into a deal with MSM to make Sony the official broadcaster. The contract was replaced a year later with a nine-year deal where MSM paid $1.63 billion.

     

    The ED stepped in on this case in 2009 and began a probe under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to investigate allegations that payment of Rs 425 crore facilitation fee by MSM Singapore to WSG Mauritius was made in an alleged unauthorised manner.

     

    As per media reports, the agency has now issued a show-cause notice to those officials in these organisations, who were at the helm and signatories to the contract deal as it probed and detected that FEMA and RBI laws were “contravened” in the final execution of this deal.

     

    The agency has issued the final notices after which all parties are allowed to appeal against the order within a period of 45 days or else pay the charged amount as mentioned in the notice.

  • India Cements transfers CSK stake to Chennai Super Kings Cricket

    India Cements transfers CSK stake to Chennai Super Kings Cricket

    MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president-in-exile N Srinivasan led India Cements’ board has approved the transfer of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a wholly-owned subsidiary Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited. A decision to this effect was taken at a board meeting of the company, held on 11 February.

     

    “Pursuant to the decision of Board of Directors of India Cements, the company transferred the IPL franchise rights to its wholly-owned subsidiary Chennai Super Kings Cricketd,” Srinivasan told reporters after the meeting.

     

    He also added, “The Board considered a proposal for reorganisation of Chennai Super Kings Cricket under which ownership of the franchise will be issued to the shareholders of India Cements, subject to necessary approvals.”

     

    Srinivasan, was barred by the Supreme Court from contesting any polls of the board till he gave up ownership of the IPL team. Though he confirmed transfer of stakes, he did not specify who would be at the helm of Chennai Super Kings Cricket.

     

    “This is the first step in slowly getting into a fully cement focussed company,” he asserted, declining to comment on how the new subsidiary would be capitalised.

     

    Last month, a Supreme Court bench of Justice T S Thakur and Justice F M I Khalifulla had assailed the amendment in BCCI rules permitting cricket administrators like Srinivasan to have commercial interest by owing teams in IPL and Champions League and said it was bad on grounds of conflict of interest.

     

  • India to host World T20 2016; England gets World Cup 2019

    India to host World T20 2016; England gets World Cup 2019

    MUMBAI: Just days before the World Cup 2015 is slated to begin, ICC senior executives met to take important calls on the upcoming tournament. The meeting was chaired by ICC chairman N Srinivasan in presence of ICC chief executive Dave Richardson and other members of the Board. 

    Players behaviour and safety, playing conditions for 2015 edition of World Cup and schedule of ICC events from 2015 – 2019 were the major points of discussion in the meeting.

    The ICC Board reiterated its support for the umpires clamping down on poor player behaviour, particularly leading into and during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

    The Board considered issues around player safety following the tragic death of Australia batsman Phillip Hughes during a first-class match, and was briefed on the ICC-supported research project to improve the safety of cricket helmets, which has recently resulted in a new British Safety Standard being introduced.

    It was noted that helmet manufacturers have now introduced a number of new helmet models that comply with the updated British Standard, and that an increasing number of international players have chosen to wear the helmet models that complies with this new safety standard.

    Whereas on playing conditions, the ICC Board roped in the use of a Super Over in the event of a tie in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final. This now replicates the arrangements for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final and other recent ICC events where a winner will be determined on the day of the final (weather permitting), and a Super Over was the most credible way to separate the two sides.

    The ICC Board also approved a change to the application of ICC Code of Conduct offences relating to slow over-rates in ICC events so that captains do not carry any prior minor over-rate offence ‘strikes’ or over-rate suspensions from other series into an ICC event.

    This approval means all captains will enter the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 with no over-rate ‘strikes’ against their names, and they will only be suspended from playing in an ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match if over-rate offences are committed during the event.

    Any over-rate ‘strikes’ incurred prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be carried forward to the first bilateral series after the event.

    The entire scheduling of ICC event till 2019 was discussed in the meeting and the major events were distributed among various countries.

  • N Srinivasan can’t contest BCCI 2015 polls: Supreme Court

    N Srinivasan can’t contest BCCI 2015 polls: Supreme Court

    MUMBAI: After a prolonged period of waiting, the Supreme Court has finally pronounced its verdict on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N Srinivasan’s conflict of interest case. Amongst other things, the court said that Srinivasan cannot contest the BCCI polls till he gives up commercial interest in the Indian Premiere League (IPL) franchise – Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

     

    A bench of Justices including TS Thakur and FMI Kalifulla, which heard the counsel for BCCI and Srinivasan on one side and rival Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) on the other, had on 17 December reserved its verdict on Srinivasan’s re-election plea but had indicated that the judgment could formulate accountability standards for ill-managed sports bodies to eliminate nepotism and conflict of interest.

     

    The key points of the 130 page judgment read by the Supreme Court includes:

     

    * N Srinivasan or any administrator having commercial interest in cricket cannot contest for BCCI till they have those interests.

    * Supreme Court sets up three-member panel headed by ex-CJI R M Lodha to decide quantum of punishment against Meiyappan and Kundra

    * BCCI did not adhere to prescribed procedures while conducting probe in IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal

    * Charges of cover-up against BCCI president-in-exile N Srinivasan not proved

    * Amendment in BCCI rules allowing Srinivasan to own IPL team, is bad

    * The highest Court of the country said conflict of interest in cricket leads to great confusion

    * SC framed seven questions on which it has passed its verdict

    * Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra and Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan’s role in betting stands proved 

     

    The panel of judges also asked BCCI to hold fresh elections within six weeks. An independent panel would  decide the fate of multimillionaire franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

  • SC names Srinivasan, Meiyyappan, Kundra and Sundra Raman in Mudgal report

    SC names Srinivasan, Meiyyappan, Kundra and Sundra Raman in Mudgal report

    MUMBAI: The Supreme Court of India disclosed the names of ICC chairman N Srinivasan, his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra and former Indian Premier League CEO Sundar Raman among the 13 who were investigated by the court-appointed Mudgal committee to look into the corruption in the Indian Premier League (IPL) scam.

     

    The Apex court has also asked that findings of the Mudgal committee report on non-cricketers be disclosed and that a copy of the report be provided to BCCI, Srinivasan and other non-players. Meanwhile BCCI, Srinivasan and other non-players who are named in the report have been asked to file their objections within four days of the receipt. The next hearing will be on 24 November.

     

    Some media reports quoted the court saying, “Certain findings recorded by committee are understood to have indicted some individuals whose conduct has been investigated. We have seen the report and it did suggest some misdemeanour on part of certain individuals.”

     

    Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, appearing for the Mudgal committee, had submitted that the report does not name any player and they are referred as numbers whose key is kept in a separate report.

     

    It is not clear whether Srinivasan who is seeking to contest the BCCI elections once again will be able to contest the same. The Board AGM, which was scheduled on 20 November has once again been deferred by four weeks and it is the first time in the boards history that it has been put off twice said a report.