Thread by @KShriniwasRao

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So, members of the #BCCI have finished rolling the pitch and are all set to bat for another term.

There are some changes in the team. Some players have retained their positions, some haven't.

But most imp change: There's a new captain now in charge.

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Apparently 1983 World Cup winner Roger Binny is going to be president & will replace Mr Sourav Ganguly.

Now, if I say it's an excellent decision -- people will accuse me of "hating" Sourav.

If I say that's a poor move -- people will ask "so what has Sourav done in 3 years?"

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Well, since either way I'm going to get trolled, let me put it this way...

I have huge respect for Sourav Ganguly the player & captain. And as administrator too, he's been efficient.

As efficient as, let's say, Rajiv Shukla.

I hope I've offered a safe shot. : )

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This upcoming term for BCCI administration will be a huge one. Let's see what all developments are lined up:

1) There's a brand new NCA coming up and more infrastructure is going to come up across the country under the NCA umbrella.

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2) The IPL has already moved to the next level in terms of central revenues. There'll be a cascading effect to this at all levels.

3) Women's IPL is coming next.

That means, BCCI must allow younger minds to take responsibility. Allow space for new & fresh ideas to come in.

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4) Jay Shah continues as secretary. This is going to get debated, so let's talk about this...

-- What goes against him? Well, the charge of nepotism, because his father occupies one of the most imp chairs in the country.

Now, how serious is that charge?

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Well, for starters, he has been associated with cricket much before his father occupied that imp chair.

But still, there'll be criticism. Right? If not for his father, would he be given that position?

Well, this debate is more like what came first-- chicken or the egg?

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If I start making a list of the number of people who are in their given positions today because of the families they come from, how many Twitter threads you think I can make?

Thankfully I don't give a damn about politics, else there'd be a never-ending list.

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Now, that's Jay's battle and he must fight it.

But let's look at his scorecard as administrator...

* NCA project was stuck for a decade. He greenlighted it. Tender went to L&T. Work is on.
* Ensured all properties -- however big or small get sold thru e-auction.

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* Convinced Dravid to work with Team India (ask Rahul Dravid who's decision it was).
* Convinced MS Dhoni to travel eith Team India for T20 WC -- although it's a different matter it didn't bring in the desired results.

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* Has been part of BCCI set up to ensure, the likes of KPMG become part of their processes like selling of rights and other due diligences.
* Worked with BCCI through a raging pandemic & conducted IPLs

Not just Jay. Whether it's Arun Dhumal, Brijesh Patel, or anybody else...

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They all, like everybody else in this country and the world, didn't really have a smooth 2020, 2021.

So, now that brings us to this big question -- if Sourav is out, why is Jay staying? Or vice versa...

Well, that's a question only Sourav Ganguly can answer.

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He's a former India captain. By virtue of that, he is still a huge brand.

That means, he can sign products, feature in commercials, be part of IPL franchises, earn big money.

He was anyways doing commercials as bcci president but people pointed fingers.

Now, nobody will.

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So, Sourav is no more affected by BCCI's conflict clause.

As far as his replacement, Binny is concerned -- all I know about him is that he's a thoroughly gentleman and a very soft spoken man.

(Wonder if all men named "Roger" are such gentlemen. I've heard of another one : ))

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There are a few things BCCI must now do though...

It must allow a longer term for members of the IPL Governing Council.

The Lodha Committee had recommended a one-year term which never made any sense. Will any of us do anything if just given a one year contract?

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To brainstorm, get to know the industry, participate in ideation, and make things happen takes time.

A Governing Council must be given a 3 to five year term.

And finally let me touch upon a very imp subject, one that gets a lot of criticism but never gers talked about...

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Politicians in cricket administration...

Firstly, SC has clarified that politicians and public servants can be part of cricket administration as long as they're not holding a ministerial berth.

So, unlike when Sharad Pawar was Mumbai Cric Assn prez for 3 terms in the past...

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.... alongside also being BCCI president for 2 terms -- There's no such provision anymore.

But that's not the point I'm making. There's a larger picture...

A personal view: Politicians haven't necessarily made for bad administrators. Pawar himself is a prime example.

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As an administrator, Pawar was a blessing to Indian cricket. If not for him, the Wankhede Stadium wouldn't have been ready in time for the 2011 World Cup.

Pawar was also the most instrumental man in giving Lalit Modi the go ahead to set up IPL.

That was no small thing.

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Arun Jaitley, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Farooq Abdullah, NKP Salve, and even our current PM (10 yrs ago) have all been part of Indian cricket administration in the past.

In fact, BCCI is one place where politicians have worked together apropos of party lines.

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Have they been bad for the cricket board? Not really.

Some day, I'll try and share what goes into the conducting of a cricket match in India.

The amount of red-tapism one must cut thru -- only a seasoned politician can.

As long as BCCI functions well, I don't see a problem.

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Even in the current scenario, if we think Jay Shah, backed by BJP, is in the chair, then wait and watch if a Congress-backed Rajiv Shukla is also going to be in the chair -- in some or the other capacity.

That's the reason, I don't think it's fair to blame Jay here...

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Of course, as long as he ensures Indian cricket is run efficiently...

And he's done a bit of it already -- will do a separate thread on this.

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Finally, a bit on the road ahead... (and this is completely my perspective....)

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Corporate India was involved with Indian cricket earlier too. But what IPL did in 2008 is -- it allowed corporate India to officially set foot in the game.

Result? It is now BCCI as much as the Indian corporates' responsibility to ensure cricket does well.

Stakes are huge.

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So, be it Jay Shah or IPL franchise owners or other past / present administrators...

Bottomline is -- with lot of power comes great responsibility... use it judiciously.

The next three years are a story & script in the making.

: )

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