BCCI may have to choose between IPL & CT to implement Lodha recommendations

Kolkata, Oct 3 (IANS) Indian cricket board president Anurag Thakur on Monday said either India's participation in the Champions Trophy or the Indian Premier League (IPL) will suffer if Justice Lodha's recommendation to keep a 15-day gap between the IPL and the domestic calendar, has to be implemented.

"I don't know whether India will be able to play the Champions Trophy or not. If you go by the Lodha report, you have to pick either of the two. Either you have to play the IPL or the Champions Trophy next year. So the BCCI will have to take a call on that," Thakur told reporters on the sidelines of India's second Test against New Zealand at the Eden Gardens on Monday.

"As per Lodha Committee's recommendation you have to give 15 days window before and after the IPL. You have the Australia series (February March, 2017) before the IPL and the Champions Trophy (June 2017) after IPL. So BCCI has to take a call on whether they can play the Champions Trophy or the IPL if the Lodha recommendations are implemented in toto."

Asked whether scheduling will be a problem every year, Thakur said, "It's going to be problem every year. We can play at a certain time in India.

"There is a window given to IPL and we will take a call whether the world's fastest-growing league -- which has showcased to the world how we can make domestic cricket more popular, and given birth to many such leagues in football, hockey, badminton, kabaddi and all -- has to go or anything else has to go."

With the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan deteriorating, the BCCI last Friday had decided that India will avoid their arch-rivals even in multi-nation tournaments and asked the ICC not to place the teams of the two countries in the same group in the future.

The issue was discussed on the sidelines of the Special General Meeting here against the backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of Uri terror attack and the subsequent cross-LoC surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army.

"Members can take a call at that time -- whether IPL or the Champions Trophy. So the question of India-Pakistan arises only if India play the Champions Trophy," he said.

Meanwhile, the Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) and the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) have become the first full-members of the BCCI to adopt the recommendations of the Lodha Committee, in separate special general meetings held last Thursday (September 29) and Friday (September 30), respectively.

Asked about the development being in contrast to BCCI's stance of opposing the Lodha Committee's recommendations, Thakur said, "They are autonomous bodies they can do whatever they have to. It's up to the state bodies."

The BCCI in August had moved the Supreme Court for a re-look into its July 18 judgment upholding the recommendations of the Lodha Committee to overhaul the rules, membership and functioning of the top cricketing body.

Seeking a review of the judgment delivered by a Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur, the BCCI wanted a five-judge Constitution Bench to hear the plea.

"The members discussed in the 30th meeting also that whatever the recommendations they are going to adopt will depend on the outcome of the review and curative petitions," he said.

"There is a process in the registry. We have filed it long time back. If they have taken their own time and come back to us, we have done in the meantime whatever is the time period is given to the BCCI or any of the petitioner."

On Thursday, the Supreme Court will hold a hearing where the status report of the implementation of the Lodha committee recommendations will be reviewed.

--IANS

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