Stop Srini from retaking BCCI

What is the former BCCI chief N Srinivasan really made of? Despite his name being smeared in allegations against his son-in-law Gurunath Maiyappan in the IPL spot-fixing case, the man had not only stayed practically unfazed by the resulting notoriety, he also vehemently opposed stepping down from the post, until he was forced to handover the reins to Jagmohan Dalmia, albeit temporarily. Yet, barely months into the scandal, Srinivasan has declared his intentions to contesting again for the post of the BCCI president, an evidence not only a bullish stubbornness to hold on to power come what may, but also to disregard any public sentiment that might be heavily weighed against him. Srinivasan is bidding, unperturbed by any controversy, to get re-elected as the president of the BCCI for the third year running under the Board’s two plus one year tenure rule after having completed two years at the helm. Not only is he unaffected by the fallout of the IPL-6 spit-fixing scandal that has seen cricketers S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan banned for life from the tournament, following a probe into the discrepancies, he considers the presidency as a veritable entitlement that must be given back to him. 

Evidently, the IPL has been denuded of any vestiges of accountability and sportsmanship, with money and glamour replacing everything that the gentleman’s game stood for once upon a time. Srinivasan represents this moneyed machismo of the board, the richest in the world, which is less a regulatory authority for the game and more a platform to liaison and multiply assets. Both the BCCI and the IPL are neck-deep in muck, to the extent that the board’s internal probe into the spot-fixing scandal was rendered a mock-show, that duly exempted Srinivasan, and flexed its muscles to free Gurunath Meiyappan from the clutches of Mumbai police. Needless to say a man as power-hungry as Srinivasan must not be allowed to recontest.