Shivlal-Sridhar, an uneasy alliance

Hyderabad: The elevation of Shivlal Yadav as acting president of the BCCI for non-IPL affairs has thrown up an interesting power equation at the top of the national cricket body. Not many know that the relationship between the new BCCI boss and its General Manger of Cricket Operations M. V. Sridhar, has been bitter sweet.

Both Shivlal and Sridhar are cricketers from Hyderabad and have been involved in a fierce fight to control the Hyderabad Cricket Association while leading opposing camps in the state body comprising 215 clubs for at least four years now.

Sridhar has been Shivlal’s joint secretary in the HCA since 2000 and took over the secretary’s post after the Shivlal resigned in 2009 due to personal reasons.

Following the HCA elections in September 2010, both Shivlal and Sridhar were vice-presidents on the committee, the former as an elected representative and the latter as a co-opted member  Sridhar replaced the then speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who was elevated as HCA Chief Patron after he was appointed the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in November.

In the subsequent elections, in 2012, Sridhar drubbed Shivlal in a straight fight, his camp bagging 17 posts on the 22-member HCA committee with Shivlal’s panel taking the remaining five for a two-year term. The HCA is due for polls in May.

Another rift between Shivlal and Sridhar was evident during the revamp of BCCI committees in September last year. HCA treasurer Naresh Sharma was pencilled in by N. Srinivasan on the Marketing Committee (at the behest of BCCI vice-president Shivlal Yadav) and had gone to town about it only to learn the next day that his name did not figure in any of the BCCI panels. Fingers were pointed at Sridhar, who was the HCA secretary, then.

Later, after Srinivasan garnered the support of all South Zone units which unanimously nominated him as BCCI president last year, Sridhar was elevated to his current post, a position that bestowed so much power and responsibility that he had to abdicate his chair as HCA secretary to devote time for it.

Now, Sridhar finds himself in an uncomfortable situation of reporting to his erstwhile opponent. However, knowing the former players, they will play ball in the ‘interest of the game’.