BCCI to submit progress report to Supreme Court on Oct 6

The cricketing body and the apex court appointed committee have been at loggerheads, to stop disbursement of BCCI funds to state associations

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is supposed to report on Thursday to the Supreme Court on the progress in implementing the Lodha committee suggestions.

BCCI and the SC-appointed committee have been at loggerheads regarding the latter's directions to stop disbursement of the board’s funds to state associations.

On Monday, the Lodha panel directed YES Bank and Bank of Maharashtra to stop such disbursement. On which, BCCI president Anurag Thakur alleged the panel was interfering with their work and this could mean and end to the ongoing India-New Zealand series (which India leads 2-0). He told reporters that interference by the committee would mean a financial crisis, with banks being told to freeze BCCI accounts.

The prospect of cancelling the series halfway rang alarm bells for not only cricket fans but the broadcaster, Star India, and the advertisers. Cricket is the country's most expensive platform for advertising — rates for popular matches (like a World Cup on home ground or the Indian Premier League every year) reaching spot (10-second) rates of Rs 20-25 lakh. Sources in the know say BCCI has not informed any of the commercial associates (STAR India, also the team sponsor, and Paytm, the serial sponsor). The New Zealand Cricket Board has also said there's been no indication from BCCI on any cancelling of the series.

The developments, however, have raised doubts on the commercial aspects of the remaining matches, specially the one-day internationals.

BCCI has been in a spot since the betting and match fixing scandal in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League. While the players, teams and team officials implicated in the scandal were sentenced, the SC appointed the Lodha committee (R M Lodha is a former chief justice) to clean up the cricket administration. In July, the panel gave a list of recommendations for BCCI to implement. These were accepted by the SC, which then gave BCCI six months to do so. This progress report is due on Thursday.

The panel's suggestions included a bar on ministers and civil servants, and those above 70 years of age, from becoming the governing body’s members. Also, to have a nominee of the Union comptroller and auditor-general (CAG) in BCCI and for a person to hold only one post in cricket administration, to avoid any conflict of interest. And, scrapping of all other administrative committees in the BCCI after the CAG nominee came in.

In the last week of September, the SC came down hard on the BCCI and asked it to fall in line. The latter convened a special general meeting. This SGM and the decisions taken became the basis for the most recent duel between BCCI and the Lodha panel.

Lodha says on the funds: “They're free to deal with the funds for incurring expenses on matches in the ongoing series. So, I don’t find any reason or justification for cancellation of any match.”

He also says the board's accounts had not been frozen. “Our e-mail is very clear and should there be any confusion in the mind of BCCI, and they seek any clarification, we will do that readily...our e-mail does not put any constraint on BCCI insofar as the ongoing or scheduled series or matches or game is concerned.”