BCCI Pleads ICC to reconsider its Decision

BCCI have asked the ICC to reconsider their decision to strip the Eden Gardens of their match between India and England.
"We have written a letter to the ICC to reconsider its decision. Now it is up to the ICC to decide, but we are confident that the stadium can host the crucial India-England match," Ratnakar Shetty, tournament director and chief administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said.

Former ICC boss and Cricket Association of Bengal President, Jagmohan Dalmiya, had appealed to the BCCI to ask the ICC to reconsider their decision.

Dalimiya had based his argument on Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium and three other venues getting an extension of 14 days- the former BCCI president suggested CAB will be able to get the Eden Gardens ready in the next 10 days and hand over a finished ground on February 7.

An ICC inspection team determined the Eden Gardens, which had hosted an ICC Cricket World Cup final and semi-final would not be ready to host the fixture on February 27.

The Group B match - England's second of the tournament - against the co-hosts in the 100,000-capacity stadium in Kolkata was set to be one of the highlights of the campaign for Andy Flower's side, who must now wait to hear where the February 27 fixture will be moved to.

Besides the India-England encounter, Eden Gardens is scheduled to host three other games -- South Africa vs Ireland (March 15), the Netherlands vs Ireland (March 18), and Zimbabwe vs Kenya (March 20).

Beauty Queen Shilpa reacting sharply

Jaipur team co-owners Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra have reacted sharply to BCCI questioning their ownership in the franchise.
BCCI President Shashank Manohar on Monday alleged he could not see either Shetty or Kundra's names in the franchise papers with the Board.

"I didn't find the names of Shilpa Shetty or Raj Kundra in the register," Manohar said.

Shilpa slammed the Board, saying Manohar's statement was an insult to her and her husband. She is reportedly upset with the probe in her stake. The Jaipur board are meeting today and will reconvene on Tuesday to work out legalities.

The Bollywood beauty said she paid for her stakes more than anyone else and will give her version on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Jaipur sources revealed Shetty and Kundra would not have gone public had the deal been under wraps.
Meanwhile, the Income Tax Department has asked all franchises for their shareholding and investment patterns. The team owners have been asked to file their income statements and present their audited accounts.

The department has alsoa asked the franchises to submit the details of the payments made to all the parties.

Bcci Turning out to be profitable organisation

As a former president of BCCI, I am saddened to note the recent developments. BCCI was formed in the year 1940 as a non-profit organization under the Societies Registration Act and the Members of the Board were eminent personalities, who were keen to develop cricket as a sport in India and so also several of the state associations have been formed under the Societies Registration Act with similar objectives.

BCCI has never missed the track and also were keen to develop cricket as a sport. The proposal of BCCI to form IPL no doubt is basically a proposal of combination of business and sport. It required careful handling by BCCI, so that the benefits of such a proposal could be fully enjoyed by the BCCI.

Unfortunately, however, I noticed that insiders have taken part in the IPL bids and I apprehended if it is allowed it would definitely spoil the spirit under which the BCCI is functioning in the development of cricket. I, therefore, represented the matter to BCCI and the Board has simply ignored the representation and to the contrary amended the bye-laws to give more room for insiders to meddle with.

I subsequently came to know through media that some of the office-bearers of the BCCI are connected with many of the IPL franchisees directly or indirectly. However, the BCCI did not take a serious note of it despite bringing it to its notice through courts. Today, 'The Hindu' newspaper in its editorial highlighted that "Allegations have been made that the process of bidding for franchises suffered from something like insider trading. There are also conflicts of interest among those serving on the IPL's Governing Council."

Parliamentarians have also raised their voice saying that the BCCI is taken over by the government and the IPL has to be banned. I feel to a larger extent the members of the BCCI have failed in their responsibilities and they had consciously allowed themselves to be exploited by certain groups by amending the byelaws. As far as I am concerned I have taken the matter to the court. Although before the High Court, Chennai I am not successful, I hope I may be successful by moving the issue before the Supreme Court.

The BCCI should ensure all those who have some stake or interest either directly or indirectly should be kept away from the board, so that it shall be able to independently perform and develop cricket as a sport which has been nourished so well over a period of 60/65 years free from any commercial interest by any of its members. Just expelling one or two members will not be a solution to the present episode.

The BCCI should also ensure that even the state associations should pass appropriate resolutions to amend their bye laws that no office-bearers shall have any commercial interests either directly or indirectly in IPL franchisees or in any other commercial ventures of the board or of its own events.