Reform, BCCI, reform

The BCCI is not exactly the flavour of the season. The cricket administration body, already in troubled waters, is also facing the wrath of the Bombay high court over the use of water to prepare cricket pitches for the IPL in Maharashtra, a state racked by drought. The world’s richest league is left with the tricky proposition of rescheduling 19 matches at very short notice though, with the resources at its command, the IPL is capable of facing the challenge. However, things have already come to such a pass that the sport’s image is reeling from severe body blows regarding its administration. The administration is solely to blame for the federation’s woes. The hubris of a previous regime, under an administrator who wanted to dictate terms to world cricket because of the dominance of BCCI in attracting money, can be pointed out as the sole reason why the cricket board is under such intense scrutiny today. When ethics and a sense of equity were shown the door, such dire consequences were certain to follow.

The top court’s sharp questioning of the BCCI’s patterns of funding its member associations and affiliates is not merely about uneven distribution of funds. The court also broached the larger question of whether such funding was used as graft by the powerful to hang on to the top administrative posts. The lack of accountability and suspected financial adventurism in putting those funds to use, avowedly to promote the game, means BCCI will have to answer a number of searching questions. With the top court intent on reorganising the cricket board, BCCI must realise the need to reform and recover.