Qaiser Mohammad Ali
Even before a desperate DDCA moved Delhi High Court on Tuesday, seeking permission to host the India-South Africa Test, the BCCI had apparently reminded the association that it was “due to host” a Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka in February, besides possibly a match or two of the ICC World Twenty.
This reminder has shocked many officials in the DDCA because they are wondering how an association, which is virtually bankrupt and against which several investigations are going on, could host another international match when it is struggling to host the Test next month. A decision on the Test was expected by Wednesday evening.
Further, they say, after the DDCA top guns failed to secure mandatory permissions from the Excise Department and the MCD etc., they had to resort to moving a court to get temporary permission to host the South Africa Test match, starting on 3 December.
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur is said to have written to Delhi and District Cricket Association ‘working president’ Chetan Chauhan (right) and ‘suspended’ president SP Bansal (left) and reminded them that the DDCA was ‘due to host’ a Sri Lanka T20 International in February and ICC World T20 match(s).“Many of us DDCA directors claim they have no confirmation about any other match that would to be played at the Kotla after the scheduled India-South Africa Test, about which the Delhi High Court will decide today [Wednesday]. The only other half-baked information that we are getting is that DDCA might be allotted a game of the ICC World Twenty20 in March-April, but that is not confirmed yet,” a shocked DDCA director told www.jantakareporter.com
“Many DDCA directors are unaware of many things because the top four office-bearers of the DDCA who are active these days – SP Bansal, Chetan Chauhan, CK Khanna and Ravinder Manchanda – don’t share any information with the rest of the DDCA executive committee members,” he said.
According to sources, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur on 14 November reminded DDCA president SP Bansal, who is said to have been ‘suspended’ by the executive committee, and Chetan Chauhan, who is supposedly appointed ‘working president’, that their association was “due to host” a Sri Lanka T20 game and also ICC World Twenty20 match(s). Thakur, however, did not confirm the World T20 match.
The ICC World Twenty20 is scheduled to be played in India from March 11 to April 3.
The BCCI has still not announced the itinerary of Sri Lanka’s tour to India, though the venues have been decided. According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (2014-2019), posted on its website, Sri Lanka is due to play five One-day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals in India, but the BCCI has announced that only three T20s would be played.
Thakur in his letter said that this information [the deadline of 17 November for the Test] was passed on to DDCA vice-president CK Khanna, and also a BCCI vice-president from central zone, who attended the BCCI AGM on 9 November in Mumbai.
However, a few DDCA directors www.jantakareporter.com spoke to said that they were doubtful that the association was in a position to host any other match, given that its administration has almost completely collapsed.
Thakur informed Bansal and Chauhan about the Sri Lanka match and ICC World T20 matches while reminding both that the DDCA would have to tell the BCCI by the November 17 whether or not it would be in a position to host the five-day Test against South Africa.
“CK Khanna, a DDCA vice-president, was present at the AGM and was told of this important decision taken by the members of the BCCI general body,” Thakur is said to have written in the letter, referring to the deadline.
“This deadline was set in the interest of your association — as well as the BCCI — which is also due to host a T20 match between India-Sri Lanka in February and the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 that will be hosted by the BCCI,” he is reported to have written.
The DDCA has since failed to get a reprieve from the Delhi government on the Rs 24.46 crore entertainment tax slapped by the Excise Department. The association then moved the Delhi High Court on Tuesday and after preliminary hearing the double bench adjourned the matter to Wednesday. In view of the court case, the BCCI has extended the November 17 deadline by a day. A court order was expected by Wednesday evening.
