N. Srinivasan the BCCI President; Rajiv Shukla the IPL Chairman

N. Srinivasan will face no problems when he officially takes over as the BCCI President and Rajiv Shukla will be the new IPL Chairman amongst the significant changes coming up for the BCCI.

N. Srinivasan

BCCI’s AGM should see a change of guard and it appears that obstacles have been removed for the moment. The Supreme Court has allowed Srinivasan to take up the BCCI President post from Shashank Manohar after AC Muttiah failed to stop Srinivasan on grounds of conflict of interest. N. Srinivasan happens to be part owner of India Cements which is the IPL franchisee for the Chennai Super Kings. Contending that holding the post and being the owner of an IPL franchisee team constituted conflict of interests, efforts were made by the former BCCI President to stay the change of guard by unsuccessfully.

In another move, the BCCI has offered Rajiv Shukla, BCCI top official and Minister of Parliament, the post of the IPL Chairman which means Shukla will succeed Chirayu Amin who served in that capacity for the IPL 4 season following the financial irregularities scandals that rocked the IPL 3 season and saw the BCCI give the boot to the former IPL chairman and commissioner, Lalit Modi, who held virtual visible monopoly in that role for the first three years since the inception of the Indian Premier League.

Although the BCCI have been in damage control mode since the controversies broke out, Shukla should lend a more steady face and hand to the workings of the BCCI. Already as Member of the Parliament, Shukla has been backing the BCCI agenda whether it comes to the reservations regarding the Sport Ministry’s proposal to bring BCCI under the RTI Act ( Right to Information) or other contentious issues involving tax exemptions. For Shukla, it would be an extension of his role within the BCCI and recognition for his loyalties.

Srinivasan though is the controversial figure in the midst of this ongoing court battle with Muttiah, which Modi has also sought to seek mileage from. It was no hidden matter that Srinivasan and Modi did not see eye to eye following the IPL 3 controversies and were often caught in a war of words. The recent confession of the BCCI to the Parliamentary standing committee about BCCI being less vigilant about its IPL finances was a significant step down on the part of the BCCI and N. Srinivasan who have previously held Modi solely responsible for the muck that the IPL has found itself in.

As far as shifting of power is concern, the BCCI has won the interim battle which means Srinivasan will ascend to the top job in the BCCI while Shukla will now have a new assignment on his hands. It should make things interesting because the BCCI is currently opposing Sports Minister Ajay Maken’s move to bring the BCCI under the RTI while the BCCI is fighting for autonomy under the premise that cricket in India is not being run on government aid. Srinivasan is already heading that battle which means that the BCCI President elect is familiarizing himself with the battles ahead.