A day after the Supreme Court sacked former BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke from their respective posts, former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has now emerged as the front-runner to take over as BCCI president.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the Bangal left-hander qualifies for the top role given he has attended two annual general meetings (AGMs) – one of the criterions required to head the body.
Ganguly is currently president of the Cricket Association of Bengal; one of the few state units that was willing to implement the Lodha reforms.
Moreover, the appointment of an interim chief is imperative for the BCCI as the contracts for the upcoming IPL season are yet to be finalised and there cannot be any further delay, which would further erode not just the credibility but also the viability of the world’s biggest domestic T20 tournament scheduled to begin in the next 15 weeks or so.
At present, CK Khanna, the vice-president from the Central Zone, is the senior-most official in the BCCI. Besides Ganguly, the names doing the rounds are TC Matthew (vice-president, West Zone) and Gautam Roy (vice-president, East Zone).
For the time being, Amitabh Chaudhary of Jharkhand Cricket Association, currently BCCI Joint Secretary, will perform Shirke's role.
Meanwhile, state associations are worried about the forthcoming India-England ODI series in Pune on January 15. England are due to arrive shortly.
The biggest worry for state associations, however, is that the implementation of the Lodha panel’s recommendations will get a number of state units and office bearers in trouble.
