Skeletons in the cupBOARD. Review on BCCI India

The Board of Control For Cricket in India(“BCCI”) is primarily responsible for selecting the Indian team for playing official cricket matches under the auspices of the International Cricket Council(“ICC”).

They are the effectively the controllers of the game of cricket in India.

The functioning of BCCI  as a guardian of the most popular sport has been a subject of spirited discussion among cricket lovers in recent times. This fierce debate, triggered by  the CBI report about the dark underside of a deregulated market place of cricket  washes a lot of dirty linen .Let me examine some aspects of BCCI functioning .These observations are only indicative, not exhaustive.

1)BCCI, cash rich, Cricket poor.

BCCI is non-profit autonomous body?

But, the BCCI has been the single largest beneficiary of the enormous commercial success of cricket.  It is a matter of record that BCCI earned a profits to the tune of Rs.8.37 crores in the financial year 1998-1999.  Such huge profits should have resulted in better maintenance of cricket stadiums, better coaching facilities and better match money to players.  But  , NO.

According to rough estimates(CBI report page 10) the turn over for a one day match in any part of the world which is telecast in India is to the tune of few hundred crores.  But each player only gets Rs.25, 000/for a one dayer.  Just peanuts!!! Where is all the money going?  How and where are these so called “administrators” of the game hiding and deploying it? Except in their business accounts and business cohorts. Isn’t it atrocious that the cricketers who actually generate it and make it all happen get such a raw deal.

There is stink of gross number of rats here!!!  We have to look hard at these business crooks and cheats of ‘Cricket money’.

2)No accountability:

BCCI has been dominated by persons who are working for their individual interest and the objects of the BCCI are not being pursued by its members properly.  The funds are being diverted for expenses incurred for the luxurious lifestyle of the members and office-bearers of the Board.  Just to illustrate, see the Text of Income-Tax department’s assessment order against the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Total income of BCCI:-

Income as per Income & Exp. Account  Rs.49, 07, 10, 175

Less:  Expenses claimed as per statement Rs.30, 86, 22, 435/-

Less:  10 per cent being disallowed as Rs.3, 08, 62, 243/

, b>Total Income Rs.21, 29, 49, 984/-*

Assessed u/s 143(3).  Issue D.N. Issue show cause notice u/s 27(1) © of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

The analysis of some of the papers seen during the survey under section 133A by the department on 20.7.2000 in the office of Treasurer in Jaipur show that:

1)During financial year 1999-2000, personal telephone charges and mobile charges to Mr.Sharad Diwadkar and Mr.Raj Singh Dungarpur amount to Rs.29, 933 and Rs.1, 24, 326 were borne by BCCI.

2)Rs.89, 800 and Rs.1, 58, 865 was paid to Mr.P.M.Rungta for expenses incurred in diwali for dry fruits and liquor for presentation to various officials and for entertainment on December 25 and 31.  However, no bills were submitted by Shri Rungta.

3)The non-submission of details is obviously due to the fact that such types of expenses have been incurred and for which the Board has no explanation.

These observations again, are only indicative not exhaustive.

The BCCI receives money though sponsorship, TV rights etc. and has started the process of commercialization of cricket without any vision as to how this money could be ploughed back to ensure better administering of the game of cricket.  The office-bearers are of running the Board more for their personal benefits to run their business as there is lack of accountability of BCCI to anyone.

3)Undersold Indian Cricket:  Although BCCI is cash rich, it appears over the years, it has undersold Indian Cricket, particularly with regard to guarantee money etc.,

The CBI report(Pages 154-155) states:  “a study of guarantee money received by BCCI in some of the tournaments shows an interesting trend which indicates that it is not commensurate with India’s standing in the cricketing world.  Today, every second person in the world watching cricket ‘live’ on television is probably an Indian which gives an enormous clout in financial terms to BCCI.  In view of this, BCCI can fix its own terms to tour any country to ensure its participation in an event since the television rights for any tournament featuring India can be sold for a very heavy amount.  But this position is not reflected in the guarantee money received by BCCI as illustrated below:

Tournament Guarantee Money Received by BCCI  (Table 1)

Money received by Hosts for TV Right over India for the  Series(Table 2)

Table 1              Table 2

World Cup 1999UK         Rs.1.5 crores     Rs.26 crores

ICC Wills Cup 1998Bangladesh Rs.46 Lacs     Rs.35 crores

Coca-Cola Cup 1998Sharjah Rs.68 Lacs     Rs.17 crores

According to me, the BCCI members are the real “match fixers” by default. Cricket has been devastated by the very people who are to play the role of parent body by the greed to make money.

4)Foot in mouth disease:  Lele, Honorary secretary of the Board of Control once stated that India would be wiped out 3-0 in the coming Test series in Australia?  It appeared headlines on the sports pages of most newspapers.

He has no great credentials as one who has played the game, who is he to talk about cricket.  Who is Lele to talk about cricket performance?

Even more difficult to swallow is how Lele could have agreed to an interview and on went  to answer questions concerning the Indian team.  His job is that of a chief executive.  It begins and ends with carrying out the decisions of the Board of Control taken at the sub-committee level as well as by the working committee and the general body.He is not competent to talk about cricket .Isnt it shameful that  a BCCI official utters such a unpatriotic view of his country’s fate of cricket.What high traditions are they maintaining?.

5)Match –fixing.Let BCCI NOT HOODWINK THE PAYING PUBLIC BY HOLDING BEHIND THE EXCUSE THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF MATCH FIXING AND OTHER MALPRACTICES.They knew everything as they were a party to it.  Infact  they tried to cover up all the malpractices through the Justice Chandrachud’s report  which declared that the sport was clean.

There is no doubt that the entire BCCI NEEDS A THOROUGH CLEAN UP ON AN IMMEDIATE BASIS “HERE AND NOW”.

Catching, exposing and punishing some of the crooks in BCCI is the need of the hour, if we have to claim the most glorious game of Cricket, our national passion back from its exploiters.