Live Score
ICC Ranking
Cricket Teams
Cricket PlayersSuperstition plays strong part in MCA polls
The announcement of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) election date has become a talking point in cricketing circles. With the polls slated to have a direct impact even on the BCCI, the climax is building up. Kushal Phatarpekar reports.
The announcement of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) election date has become a talking point in cricketing circles. With the polls slated to have a direct impact even on the BCCI, the climax is building up.
While reasons doing the rounds for the delay range from future political bearings to financial books not being in order, a rather peculiar reason is superstition.
Discussions over the date, other than bureaucratic constraints, have been about avoiding unholy periods.
An MCA office-bearer had recently written to the association asking for the elections to be held as soon as possible, however the suggestion was shot down as many members termed September as inauspicious, usually associated with 'Pitru Paksha', a 16-day lunar period from September 19 to October 4.
Festive time
The period will follow Ganesh Chaturthi, when most members are busy with religious duties.
It is also learnt that some administrators have even sought the help of spiritual gurus to point out a suitable date to help them claim victory.
According to an insider, a joint secretary was pushing for the elections to be held in September as his spiritual guru had predicted prolonged success for him. The proposed date however, did not match the preferences of many in the committee, including president Ravi Savant, who prefers October.
While cricketers are known to be superstitious on the field, a similar trend among administrators is intriguing.
The much-delayed elections were initially to be held in April but were postponed due to the IPL and later due to the upheaval in the BCCI due to the spot-fixing scandal.
Now with the elections imminent, it appears many members are on tenterhooks and looking for divine intervention for success, as a lot is riding on this one.
