Ex-India pacer Roger Binny has reportedly stepped down as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Vice-president Rajeev Shukla has taken over as interim president of the board until the next elections take place.
Shukla presided over the BCCI's Apex Council meeting on Wednesday, where sponsorship was the main item on the agenda, according to a report from Dainik Jagran. The contract termination of Dream11 and the search for a new sponsor for the ensuing two and a half years were the topics of the discussion.
With the Asia Cup beginning on September 10, however, finding a replacement in time remains a major challenge.
“We don’t even have two weeks left. We are trying, but floating a new tender, completing legal processes, and handling technicalities will take time. As for a short-term sponsor only for the Asia Cup, we are not going that way. Our focus is on securing a sponsor for the next two-and-a-half years, until the 2027 ODI World Cup in October-November," the Dainik Jagran report quoted a source as saying.
Even though the parliament enacted the new National Sports Governance Act earlier this month, the BCCI will still need to hold its annual general meeting and elections in September in accordance with the current regulations because it will take four to five months for the new bill to become formally operative.
The constitution that the BCCI is now operating under was written following the Supreme Court's decision about the recommendations made by the Lodha Committee. The report further stated that the current regulations will be followed whenever elections for the BCCI or any state organization are forthcoming.
Office-bearers will be appointed or removed in accordance with the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. These regulations set a 70-year-old age limit for office-bearers, meaning that anyone elected before then is eligible to serve a full term.
After serving for either nine years in total or six years in a row, some office-bearers will also be compelled to resign.
“If BCCI President Roger Binny had to step down, then state associations would also have to accept the same," the report quoted a source as saying.
(Dainik Jagran report)
