BCCI’s argument that it lacks funds is a lie

KOLKATA: Reports that the Indian cricket board is on the verge of unilaterally calling off the New Zealand series after its bank accounts were frozen is a failed

KOLKATA: Reports that the Indian cricket board is on the verge of unilaterally calling off the New Zealand series after its bank accounts were frozen is a failed stunt to keep the Justice RM Lodha committee under pressure. The panel had given no such instruction.

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In fact, both the teams went about their business in Kolkata on Tuesday. India, having wrapped up the Test with a day left, took the day off while three New Zealand players had an optional practice session at Eden Gardens. The teams are scheduled to take a chartered flight to Indore on Wednesday evening ahead of the final Test there.

STANDING INSTRUCTION

In the October 3 e-mail to the BCCI secretary, treasurer and CEO, the Lodha panel merely instructed that ‘large funds to the member associations’ should not be disbursed, as decided at the Special General Meeting on September 30. The infrastructure subsidy was increased to Rs 70 crore, Rs 10 crore more than what was mentioned in the annual report released a week earlier.

It was also decided to distribute money received from broadcasters as compensation for the cancellation of the Champions League T20 (`1607.58 crore was India’s share). There may have been a deliberate move to disburse these two amounts to state units before Thursday’s Supreme Court hearing where BCCI is due to submit why it can’t accept the Lodha panel directives in its entirety.

While BCCI tried to play to play the victim card, one fact was conveniently forgotten. The mail points out its directive dated Aug 31 that no financial decisions other than those pertaining to routine matters can be taken.

The BCCI misrepresented facts, and by floating such rumours, BCCI is trying to create an impression the Lodha committee is anti-cricket.

ALREADY PLANNED

When HT called a top BCCI boss, he said “ask New Zealand if they are willing to play for free”. But this tour is part of the Future Tours Programme of the ICC and was announced as early as June 28. Teams are insured heavily against accidents and sudden pullouts before a tour. Then there is the TV rights deal which the board has to honour. And the Lodha panel did not stop payments for staging a Test.

Anyway, most BCCI payments are essentially reimbursements. So, for the Indore Test, does the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association have the money to host a Test?

The answer lies in the list of BCCI payments of over Rs 25 lakh made. Only in August was Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) paid its dues for 2014-15. That didn’t bring its cricket activity to a standstill.