Line & Length

The top court may have taken the best possible step to bring some order to the BCCI. The board’s bigwigs needed this treatment with the big stick to make them see sense as otherwise they would have happily enjoyed the interregnum. They needed to be sent packing and finally the court decided to implement the much needed reform in the form of an administrative panel as suggested by the Lodha panel.

Two top administrators with a sound financial background on the committee are the best things that could have happened to cricket. They are the ones who will bring the much needed financial probity while putting a stop to all the machinations that are known to go on in the world of television royalties, with the percentages possibly fuelling the favour system that used to keep the top honchos of BCCI in power forever.

With Mr Vinod Rai in control and Mr Vikram Limaye around with his expertise in big ticket deals that should help him tackle the TV royalties, Indian cricket is bound to stay rich — and honest besides. Whether we agree with the other two choices of a retired woman cricketer and a historian or not, the fact remains this panel will do far better than the honchos who used to claim great professional sagacity in administration even as they admitted to an ‘honorary’, amateur status.

A ‘night watchman’ Mr Rai may have termed his role, but he has the ability to straighten out the processes of BCCI admin to ensure they become standard operating procedures. What the board needs is a corporate approach to handling the issues in the office while the game’s requirements are looked after by people with expertise, who naturally enough are the