What to expect from Sourav Ganguly as the BCCI President

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Updated: October 24, 2019
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Ex-Indian captain and batting legend Sourav Ganguly has officially taken charge of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) as its President. He wore an exclusive blazer on his very first day after assuming office. This was the same one he received when he became the Indian Cricket Team Captain in the year 2000. Ganguly will only be serving as the BCCI President for 9 months since the new BCCI Constitution comes with a cooling offperiod clause which makes it compulsory for officials of the board to step down from office after a total period of 6 years.

Ganguly has played 311 one-day matches and 113 Test matches and has successfully led his national team to 21 victories in Test matches. He has already led the CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) as an administrator. A lot is expected from Sourav Ganguly and he has already stated that I will do it my way. I will do it the way with no compromise on credibility, corruption-free and same-for-all BCCI. That’s the way I led India and that’s the way I will take this organization forward.

Ganguly knows that it is a young group of administrators and the fact that immense hard work remains to be done. He talked of how he will adopt a players-first strategy above everything else. Ganguly may be taking a rethink on a few decisions that were taken in the reign of the CoA (Committee of Administrators). The Supreme Court has already indemnified the actions that were approved in the last 33 months or so and Ganguly is clear about any vendetta or a witch-hunt not being part of his future vision. He talked of how performance on the field will matter. He may also relook ties between the ICC and BCCI. He is clear about taking measures to make the BCCI recover its earlier credibility and respect from the ICC.

The ICC may also look to offer more support to Ganguly for winning back the Indian cricket board’s trust. Ganguly may try to build bridges with Shashank Manohar as a result. He may also attempt to work out a revenue source for his plans of doubling the match fees of players in first-class cricket. Will he be able to tap into the revenues of the BCCI or will he try and increase revenues from other streams to make first-class cricket more attractive for players?

He may also look into working out a strategy for the BCCI to take a lead in emerging formats like T10 which is now being played worldwide but has not yet obtained ICC approval. Ganguly will naturally be expected to take more cricket-friendly measures since he will be supporting the players’ cause. Ganguly will be looking at creating a better structure for first-class cricket while ensuring that India dominates on the world stage at the ICC. He may have also talked to ICC boss Shashank Manohar since Ganguly will be keen to ensure an exemption from Income Tax for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021 and 2023 World Cup from the Indian Government.

Ganguly is expected to make improvements on first-class cricket infrastructure, revamping the calendar and facilities and also smoothening out issues with the pitch. A new Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) and selection committee will have to be picked which is another big challenge of sorts. He will be looking to sort the conflict of interest issue which impacts players who are picked on all committees, for coaching roles, commentary and even IPL roles. He will look to take a final decision on the future of MS Dhoni after meeting him. He may also meet Virat Kohli for learning about his future plans.