Saturday, May 25, 2013

THE SRINIVASAN SAGA: THE WORST BCCI PRESIDENT EVER?

By Ajit Jawalkar / Mumbai

N Srinivasan took over as BCCI president on September 19, 2011. But less than two years after taking charge, the Board finds itself in trouble on many fronts. Firstpost takes a quick look at how India has performed on and off the field under Srinivasan:

On the field:

  • India beat West Indies 1-0 (Away tour)
  • India beat West Indies 2-0 at home (November 2011)
  • India lost 4-0 to England (Away tour)
  • India lost 4-0 to Australia (Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Away tour)
Srinivasan said there is no need for a formal inquiry into India’s performances despite the 0-8 record on the tours to England and Australia.

  • India beat New Zealand 2-0 (Home tour)
  • India win the Under-19 World Cup.
  • India lost to England 2-1 at home
  • India beat Australia 4-0 at home in Feb-Mar 2013
Srinivasan allowed Kris Srikkanth to continue as chief selector despite being the brand ambassador for Chennai Super Kings. He stayed silent even when Ariruddha Srikkanth was picked for the Emerging India team despite an awful domestic record.

He continues to give DRS the cold shoulder.

Fletcher kept his job as India coach despite a dismal record.

Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was appointed Vice-President of India Cements Ltd — a company started by Srinivasan’s father and where is Vice-President and Managing Director.

Off the field:
The BCCI constitution was amended so that Srinivasan could buy a franchise – the Chennai Super Kings and still be able to hold a position in the organization without it violating the board’s own rules.

Srinivasan, who also owns the IPL franchise CSK, was accused of conflict of interest by former BCCI president AC Muttiah in 2011. A final decision is expected in the Supreme Court in July 2013.

In 2012, former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi revealed that in 2009, the auction of Andrew Flintoff was fixed and that Srinivasan had forced him to sell him to Chennai. Modi alleged he was arm-twisted by Srinivasan.

PepsiCo paid Rs 396.8 crores for the title rights for five years of IPL from 2013.

Star Group cliched a six year deal for all international and domestic matches. The deal is valued at Rs 3,851 crore.

A multi-crore scam was exposed in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). BCCI funds were siphoned off to bogus bank accounts, and then used by two top members of the cricket body. No action taken.

Sahara have also pulled out of the BCCI sponsorship twice — citing the high-handedness and ego-mania of N Srinivasan.

The IPL 5 spot-fixing scandal saw only the players involved being punished. The players had named some of the team owners as well but no investigation was ordered by Srinivasan. He told a TV channel, “All the franchisees are people of stature behind it. It will be wrong to presume they are doing something wrong and then make enquiries.”

Former selector Mohinder Amarnath revealed that the BCCI chief overruled the national selection committee’s decision to remove Dhoni. Srinivasan later hinted that he did stop the sacking of the Indian captain.

According to reports, Srinivasan used power tactics to get Laxman Sivaramakrishnan on the ICC Cricket Committee by “threatening countries to ensure that the majority of Test captains voted against Tim May.”

Srinivasan was also probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2012 in connection to the disproportionate assets case filed against the YSR Congress leader Jagan Mohan Reddy. Srinivasan’s company India Cements had invested heavily in Bharathi Cements (a rival company) and Jagathi Publications – two major companies promoted by Reddy and was allegedly receiving preferential treatment by the YSR regime.

The 2013 IPL was hit with allegations of spot-fixing as three players from the Rajasthan Royals were arrested, including India fast bowler Sreesanth.

His son-in-law was arrested by the Mumbai Police on charges of betting and perhaps even fixing IPL matches. The charges are yet to be proved but it has put immense pressure on N Srinivasan.

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