Uncertainty clouds Srini's return to BCCI

Officials feign ignorance about any developments

Uncertainty continued over whether N Srinivasan was back at the BCCI helm even as acting president Jagmohan Dalmiya maintained that he was clueless about the latest development.

Speculations were rife on Wednesday that president-in-exile Srinivasan, who had stepped aside as the BCCI boss pending an inquiry into the IPL spot-fixing scandal, had returned to the top post on Tuesday evening, though there was no official confirmation from the board on the issue yet.

Some BCCI officials, when contacted, said they were not aware of any such development.

Dalmiya, meanwhile, said he was not aware about what was happening in the board. “I’m totally in dark about what’s happening in the board. I’ve not been communicated anything. I’m just hearing all these in news reports,” he said.

“Perhaps I’ll find out after going there (on August 2) for the Working Committee Meeting in New Delhi,” Dalmiya, said on Wednesdays who was made the interim chief after Srinivasan. He refused to comment on whether it was some sort of “insult” to him.

A defiant Srinivasan declined to comment on whether he has taken over as the BCCI president again, bluntly telling waiting mediapersons to stop “hounding” him. “I can’t reply, don’t hound me like this,” Srinivasan told reporters in Chennai when asked about his reported comeback as the BCCI chief.

The Tamil Nadu strongman has argued that he can be back at his job, now that the two-member internal inquiry commission to probe allegations of IPL spot-fixing and betting had completed its report and found no evidence against Chennai Super Kings and his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan.

The Bombay High Court, however, had declared the BCCI’s two-member probe as “illegal” and “unconstitutional”. Hearing a public interest litigation filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar, a division bench of Justices S J Vazifdar and M S Sonak declared the two-member BCCI probe panel “unconstitutional and illegal”, a development which seemingly has put a spanner on Srinivasan’s return to the BCCI top post.

Unfazed by the court order, Srinivasan had made it clear that he would attend the Working Committee meeting here on August 2, which is expected to draw up the future course of action.

The Bombay High Court order has created a lot of confusion within the board, and Dalmiya does not know who will chair the Working Committee meeting on August 2.
There are indications that some BCCI officials are not too happy that Srinivasan has decided to attend the meeting, which has again brought the spotlight on the board.

“In view of the Bombay High Court’s verdict, it would be better if he (Srinivasan) shelves his plans of returning as BCCI president for the time being. He should wait till the matter is discussed and there is some more clarity,” said a BCCI official on conditions of anonymity.

The Working Committee will take a decision on whether to immediately appeal against the high court verdict in the Supreme Court or wait till the police complete their probe in the matter. During the day, top BCCI officials held consultations on the implications of the court order and the possible options that are available to the board.