Sourav Ganguly to be next BCCI president?

With the Supreme Court removing Anurag Thakur from the president’s post, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has emerged as the front-runner to take over as BCCI president as per reports.

BCCI is in a fix over who to nominate among its five vice-presidents as the acting chief of the beleaguered cricket body. At the moment, veteran Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) official CK Khanna, who is vice-president from Central Zone and VP for third time, is the senior most.

Sourav is currently leading the Cricket Association of Bengal since Semptember 2015. And after attending two general meetings, one of the criteria needed to be followed to head the body, he has qualified for the top role.

Moreover, anyone from the state cricket associations could be nominated for the post and with Sourav being the popular option, his chances are prevailing. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also expressed his desire to see Ganguly take the top job. “BCCI has got a very good bench strength to take up the bigger roles and one name that comes to my mind is Sourav Ganguly,” said Gavaskar. 

However, observer for DDCA Retd Justice Mukul Mudgal, in a scathing report submitted to Delhi HC, had termed Khanna as a “pernicious influence”. Apart from Khanna, there is Gautam Roy of Assam Cricket Association, who is in his second term as vice president and has been ACA president from early 2000 to 2015. 

However, both Khanna and Roy have been part of their respective state association for more than a decade and will have to go into compulsory cooling-off period. Ditto for G Ganga Raju, who had a decade long tenure at Andhra CA and may have to go for cooling-off. As of now there is no clarity on Sourav Ganguly’s position as he is not a vice-president. Even Ganguly would complete a three-year tenure in office in CAB and hence could be ineligible for the post.

Sourav Ganguly was appointed as the CAB chief after the former BCCI and CAB chief Jagmohan Dalmiya departed.He was also a part of the Justice Mudgal Panel which investigated the IPL betting and match-fixing row in 2013.