N Srinivasan re-elected as TNCA president for 15th term

K S Viswanathan has been re-elected as secretary TNCA for 10th term

Former BCCI President and former International Cricket Council Chairman N Srinivasan was today elected president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) for the 15th consecutive term.

“N Srinivasan and KS Viswanathan has been elected president and secretary of the TNCA for the 15th and 10th time, respectively,” the association announced. A TNCA functionary said there was no election since there were no opponents. Srinivasan, vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements, has faced controversy during in his stints at the BCCI and ICC following a betting case. The Supreme Court-appointed RM Lodha committee criticised various issues related to the organising of cricket associations.

The state association recently announced the Tamil Nadu Premier League as a way to raise funds. Matches will be conducted from the fourth week of August till the second week of September. Star India will be the official broadcaster with telecasts in Tamil and English. There are 28 affiliated district cricket associations in Tamil Nadu and 780 participating clubs in the districts where tournaments are conducted for different age groups. The association supplies free balls and bats to the districts every year.

The TNCA promotes cricket by conducting various league tournaments for the under-13, under-15, under-17, under-19, under-22 and under-25 age groups, besides organising and national tournaments. The association conducts a league championship for city-affiliated clubs and 726 league matches are played a year. A zone consisting of 12 teams each figures in the first and second divisions, whereas the third, fourth and fifth divisions consists of two, three and four zones, respectively.

It may be noted that on Friday, the Madras High Court had dismissed a petition filed against conducting election in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) on Saturday. The Petition had alleged that the association had not complied with the recommendations of the Justice R M Lodha Committee Report.

The petition was filed by S Srinivason, a Chennai resident. The division bench comprising of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan dismissed the petition observing that similar cases are pending with the Supreme Court and the petitioner can approach the apex court for a remedy, according to reports.

The petitioner argued it would be appropriate only if the elections were held in a free and fair manner, with due and equitable representation, according to the recommendations of the Lodha committee, under the supervision and charge of a retired election commissioner or a court-appointed administrator, only after making due amendments in the memorandum of association and the rules of the TNCA.