Sunday, May 10, 2020

Sourav Ganguly could still head BCCI till 2024

Unusual times call for unusual actions. Some of them can prove rather beneficial, as may be the case with the Board of Control for Cricket in India which may see former national team captain Sourav Ganguly's current tenure as president extended till 2024.
Among the reforms mooted by the Supreme Court appointed committee to look into the BCCI affairs was the mandatory one year cooling off period after two successive tenures in office in either state association or the board itself. That would see Ganguly complete six years as head of the Cricket Association of Bengal in September and push him into the "cooler" barely 10 months into his term as BCCI supremo.
Now with the Covid19 pandemic having thrown normal life totally out of kilt, the SC may have little option but to take a lenient view. The December 2019 resolution of the BCCI annual general meeting chooses to treat tenures in states and the board as separate without one affecting the other. Obviously with SC approval awaited, BCCI and Ganguly can do little but wait.
Closures due to pandemic may have answered the tenure question for BCCI as holding an AGM in September or for that matter till the end of the current year may not be practical. And for the sake of continuity, the highest court of the land would do well to allow Ganguly to stay in office for the maximum five years as BCCI boss.
A precedent has already come from international hockey where the FIH deferred its October 28, 2020, congress by a whole year thereby granting a 12-month extension to incumbent Narinder Dhruv Batra and the entire executive board. 
It may be argued that it is too early to take such an important decision. But leaving it late will help none, least of all the game of cricket.
The entire cricket world is looking at the richest national board to show the way out of the present crisis. Ganguly, has been decisive in leading BCCI in these uncertain times, very much like the leader he emerged when handed the reins of Team India, again in rather troubled circumstances!
At least BCCI has indicated to the SC that it hopes to keep Ganguly at the helm. Learned judges will take the final call ... and hopefully allow the Bengal Tiger full five years as BCCI top man.

No comments:

Post a Comment