The big story: Rai says his only job is to ensure smooth transition of power at BCCI

The Supreme Court on Monday appointed former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai, historian Ramachandra Guha, former India women’s cricketer Diana Edulji and banker Vikram Limaye as the new administrators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Rai has been handed the task of heading the four-member panel that will first examine the extent of compliance by BCCI with the Lodha panel’s recommendations. The ex-CAG compared his role to that of a night-watchman and will ensure a “smooth transition” of power to a new elected body.

“Any such honour from the Supreme Court, one will have to accept and try to put in his best of abilities. I am a true lover of the game of cricket,” Rai said.

“My role is that of a night-watchman in a sense that we need to put in place good governance, good system and structure in place to ensure a smooth transition to an elected body which in future will bring about good administration in BCCI,” added Rai.

He also went on to state that good governance will be high on the list of priorities, “The game deserves it [good governance], the players deserve it and public at large, who are so fond of the game. Any institution must conform to good governance. The game of cricket requires good governance so that we are able to deliver to the country and the public at large,” Rai added.

Other top stories

Cricket

  • In the Blind T20 World Cup, India posted a massive 129-run win in their tournament opener in New Delhi against Bangladesh. Batting first, the defending champions posted 279/5. Bangladesh finished at 150/7 in their quota of overs. In the second game of the day, Pakistan trounced New Zealand by 10 wickets against New Zealand, chasing down their target of 113 in just 7.2 overs. 
  • Fit-again keeper Wriddhiman Saha and and his backup Parthiv Patel might be selected for India’s one-off Test against Bangladesh, reported PTI. Ajinkya Rahane and all-rounder Jayant Yadav are also the running for selection after recovering from their respective injuries.  
  • Opener Himanshu Rana’s 101-run knock went in vain as England Under-19 defeated India Under-19 by 23 runs in the opening game of the five-match series at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, PTI reported. 
  • In the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy, Punjab beat Delhi by two wickets at Dharamsala. Batting first, Delhi, despite having stalwarts such as Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan could only put up 103/9 on the board. Punjab got past their target with four balls to spare.
  • Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi stated that he wants to focus on playing only in franchise-based tournaments, “I have played all the cricket I wanted too and now I just want to focus and enjoy playing in the leagues,” the 36-year-old said. 
  • Former India women’s team captain Diana Edulji, who is now one of the four members of the Supreme Court-appointed BCCI panel, promised to implement changes in women’s cricket, starting with the side playing more five-day cricket, “If it means that India only plays these two countries [England and Australia] , so be it, but Test matches for women should increase. It’s good that women have graded payment system now but that also needs to be streamlined,” Edulji said.  
  • The Delhi High Court appointed retired justice Vikramajit Sen as the new administrator of DDCA, replacing retired Justice Mukul Mudgal, who did not wish to continue in the post.
  • In what was a gesture, Afridi has agreed to pay over $21,000 for the release of 25 Pakistanis jailed in Dubai for minor financial crimes. 
  • Australia’s Marcus Stoinis put up one of the best all-round displays in recent times, finishing up with figures of 3/49 and then spearheaded his side’s chase from 67/6 chasing New Zealand’s target of 287 in the first ODI on Monday.  Unfortunately, Australia ended up six runs short with Stoinis stranded on 146.

Football

  • Rising Student’s Club came back from a goal down to beat Eastern Sporting Union 2-1 in the Indian Women’s League in New Delhi.   
  • Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Monday revealed that any decision to sack Under-17 coach Nicolai Adam would be taken by his department, clarifying that the All India Football Federation doesn’t have the power to sack the embattled coach, reported PTI.
  • Former Delhi captain and national referee Syed Nasir Hasan passed away today after a brief illness aged 73.
  • Former Barcelona and Brazil star Ronaldinho tips “good friend” Neymar to become the “best in the world”. The World Cup winner added that the Brazilian public is waiting for the 24-year-old to become an “icon” in Brazilian football.
  • Watford have reportedly accepted a bid worth £20 million from Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai for striker Odion Ighalo. The report also added that the veteran Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic is in advanced talks with Russian club Zenit St Petersburg. 
  • Liverpool’s Adam Lallana was adjudged England’s ‘Player of the year’, beating off competition from Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, who finished second and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.
  • UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has asked for Europe to be given at least 16 of the 48 places at the expanded 2026 World Cup, “We are not just another continental association,” Ceferin was quoted as saying.
  • Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp revealed that striker Sadio Mane is up for selection for Tuesday night’s English Premier League game against Chelsea but didn’t confirm whether he would start the game. Mane just returned from the African Cup of Nations, where his country Senegal were knocked out of at the quarter-final stage.
  • Indian giants Mohun Bagan will be facing debutants Colombo FC of Sri Lanka in the AFC Cup on Tuesday. They will be missing the services of Sony Norde and Eduardo Ferreira.

Tennis

  • Newly crowned Australian Open champion Roger Federer categorically stated he has set his sights on Wimbledon over Roland Garros during the forthcoming season, “Wimbledon over Roland Garros – yes. On the grass I’ve got a lot of tournaments there, I play Stuttgart and Halle. So I guess Wimbledon, I know I have a better shot there. But at the French Open, if you’re not in the draw you can’t win it so I hope to be in the draw this year, not like last year,” Federer said.  

Olympics

  • Former Olympic gold-medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra and shuttler Pullela Gopichand were named by the Sports Ministry as a part of an eight-member task force for the next three Olympics. Viren Rasquinha was the third sportsperson on the panel.  

Table Tennis

  • India’s leading Table Tennis player Sharath Kamal blasted the process of selection for the Padma Awards, the fourth highest civilian awards in the country, “You need multiple recommendation letters from various quarters in the government, the more they are, the better your chances of getting the award,” Kamal said.  

Chess

  • Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna finished in the ninth position after going down to Grandmaster Loek Van Wely of Netherlands in a last round game of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament.  

Hockey

  • Hockey India announced in a statement that they had decided not to play any bilateral series against Pakistan until they received a written apology from the Pakistan Hockey Federation.
  • A brace from Affan Yousuf helped Dabang Mumbai defeat Delhi Waveriders 3-2 to stay on top of the standings in the fifth edition of Hockey India League on Monday.