KPL 2017: Venkatesh Prasad in Trouble over Decision to Commentate
Nov 2, 2023 at 3:33 PM
Junior selector Venkatesh Prasad’s decision to commentate in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) has landed him in some trouble.
The BCCI has asked the former India fast bowler that if he wants to commentate in the league, then he would have to step down from the post of the selector. Karnataka Cricket Association (KCA) has joined hands with Star Sports to telecast the league. The channel published the list of commentators for the league, which had Prasad’s name in it.
The league starts on 1st September with the final on 23rd September. The list of commentators includes the likes of Brett Lee, Michael Hussey, Dean Jones and Daniel Vettori. The Indian contingent includes VB Chandrasekhar, Sunil Joshi, Fazal Khaleel and sports presenter Charu Sharma. A top BCCI official said,
“He can’t do commentary in KPL. If he wants to, he will have to resign as chairman of the junior selection committee. The new conflict of interest rules are in place, and those who are employees with the BCCI can’t be part of any other venture.”
Committee of Administrators has had a strict ruling on the conflict of interest ruling since its inception. The conflict of interest issue came into light when Ramachandra Guha stepped down from the CoA post.
The official also added,
“The BCCI has been tough on conflict of interest rules. Rahul Dravid was made to choose between India Under 19 coach job and IPL. The rule is clear: if you are on board’s payroll, you can’t work anywhere else. Everyone has to fill a declaration form now. Prasad can’t be part of KPL commentary team,”
Venkatesh Prasad was unavailable for any comment, and it will be interesting to see if the former player will continue to commentate or not.