21 state associations have reportedly written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to inform about their decision of implementing the Lodha Panel reforms.
With Supreme Court’s damning judgment on the BCCI rendering the majority of prevalent administrators powerless, former presidents N Srinivasan and Anurag Thakur, on Saturday, joined forces at an informal meeting in Bangalore on Saturday.
As per the reports in the Times of India, 24 senior officials from different states, who are ineligible to hold any post or are compelled to go into compulsory cooling off, attended the meeting in Bengaluru. However, a source close to the Lodha Panel said that the meeting would be of no use.
Speaking to the Press Trust of India, the source said:“Today 21 state units have already written to BCCI that they are adopting Lodha Panel reforms. So if 24 individuals, who are no longer qualified officials meet anywhere in India, no one should be bothered. They are individuals who went on their own capacity. These officials who went stand disqualified as per SC verdict.”
When asked about reports that some state associations might oppose the matches to be held in their stadiums, the source, expressing his surprise, said:“It is strange that an individual no longer associated with BCCI can make such claims about a facility built on government land and with BCCI. It’s not an individual property.”
Meanwhile, the informal meeting in Bengaluru was attended by some prominent cricket administrators of the game like former BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke, joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary, treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla. Several reports suggested that the meeting was conducted by the now-powerless administrators to chalk out their next course of action in order to regain the supremacy after Supreme Court’s verdict on January 2.
Speaking about the meeting, a state association official said:“Yes, it was an informal meeting. Thakur and Srinivasan were very cordial with each other. Obviously the current situation was discussed. Srinivasan asked if we are all together in it or not. Even Thakur understands, he needs Srinivasan by his side now. Out of 24, at least 18 are still Srini loyalists.”
When asked whether the state bodies are contemplating the idea of not allowing cricket matches to be played in their stadiums, he said: “That’s absurd. Nothing of that sort has been discussed. At least it won’t happen in my association.”
He further said that the no concrete plans were discussed in the meeting and revealed that their next action will be taken after January 19 when the Supreme Court names a three-member panel to run BCCI.
“Today’s meeting was about checking unity and we will again have a meeting in two weeks time. Let the January 19 pass and we can take it on from there. As of now, nothing concrete has been discussed. There is a Supreme Court verdict and we can’t do anything about it now,” he said.