Kolkata: Veteran cricket administrator IS Bindra on Tuesday suggested that Vikram Limaye, one of the four members appointed by the Supreme Court of India to govern the BCCI, should take the call to lead the members in the upcoming meeting of the ICC, which is scheduled to take place on the February 4.
“Now, as we herald a new future for the game, we need to learn from our mistakes. We need to have zero tolerance for selfish and vested interests. This is why I am suggesting that Vikram Limaye should take the lead in representing BCCI in the upcoming meeting of the board of directors of ICC on February 4,” wrote the former BCCI chief on his blog.
Bindra also mentioned about his degree of inquisition and his eagerness to hear the new names that the Supreme Court of India had suggested to head the BCCI. “I must admit I spent more than a few sleepless nights over the past week awaiting the appointment of the BCCI’s four new administrators.”
He hailed and openly supported the decision of the apex body. He said “But, Monday’s Supreme Court announcement was both reassuring and a huge relief. All the four appointees- former Comptroller and Auditor General, Vinod Rai, noted historian Ramachandra Guha, former women’s test captain, Diana Edulji and Vikram Limaye, CEO of the Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) are people of impeccable integrity”.
Bindra was elected the president of the BCCI in 1993 and held the post till 1996. The Late Jagmohan Dalmiya and he were jointly responsible for hosting the Cricket World Cup in 1987 and 1996 in the Indian sub-continent. He also served as the President of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) from 1978 to 2014. In the year 2015, he was elected as the PCA’s Chairman.
Vikram Limaye, who is the MD and CEO of IDFC limited has had a long and diverse experience in the finance and administration field. The New member of the BCCI started his career with one of the ‘Big Five’ accounting firms Arthur Anderson in Mumbai. He later worked for the Wall Street in US for 8 years before returning to India to join the IDFC. On his appointment as one of the 4 members to lead BCCI, the diversely experienced man said “I hadn’t thought of this in my wildest dreams. I’m more than happy to contribute in terms of better governance in the country. I consider it as an honour since it’s a Supreme Court appointment. I’ll do my best to contribute to making sure that from a governance standpoint that whatever needs to be done is done in the manner that it’s supposed to be done.”
Bindra was ever explosive on his blog as he didn’t let go off an opportunity to take a jibe at former BCCI Chief N Srinivasan. “As early as 2013, I told the then BCCI President N Srinivasan, he needed to fine both the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals for Rs 20 crore each, ban his son-in-law from cricket-related activities and resign from the board. But Srini was so drunk on power that he laughed at me. His selfishness truly put the board into what I have in earlier blogs described as ‘self-destruct mode’ and opened the door for the courts to get involved in the game” he wrote.
For those who aren’t aware of what Bindra wrote about, he simply was recapitulating the turbulences that the cash rich BCCI has been going through for the past few years. It all started with the Lodha Committee suspending the owners of the IPL teams Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after which, the committee recommended a complete overhaul in Indian Cricket – from the very top down to the grassroots. This recommendation was implemented by the Supreme Court, and gave the BCCI a time span of only 6 months to implement the Lodha Committee reforms. The failure of the former BCCI chief Anurag Thakur to comply with the regulations set by the Lodha Committee, led to his exit from the board and appointment of the four new members.
(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express)