State bodies will have to relent, follow court verdict
IMPACT ON ASSOCIATIONS
MUMBAI: In the wake of Monday’s SC verdict, all state associations, barring two, will have to comply with the Justice RM Lodha Committee recommendations. The Vidarbha Cricket Association and Tripura Cricket Association had seen the winds of change coming and had shaped up to avoid a confrontation.
But with no option left for the others, the implementation will have to be done, even if it requires constitutional changes. And, making constitutional changes is not the only concern. The bigger is the “cooling off” period after every term. The implementation of this recommendation will wipe out the current administrators in most associations . This may lead to a situation where the new set of office bearers lack experience in cricket administration.
The coming weeks or months will tell whether it will affect the ongoing cricket season, as apart from hosting the series against England and Australia, the Ranji Trophy too is underway.
However, the Lodha panel is confident that the game will not be affected. The reason for their optimism is that the season has been finalised. Also, in Ratnakar Shetty and MV Sridhar, the BCCI administration has two seasoned people who have the required experience. While international cricket engagements may be sorted, the same cannot be said of the IPL. The lucrative league will provide a different set of challenges as the preparations for it have already been delayed. The new setup will have to bank on the IMG, who manage the event. period and the nine-year tenure criterion. TNCA chief Srinivasan is 70-plus.