Lodha committee calls for changes in cricket governance, recommends separating IPL and BCCI
The panel, set up after the spot-fixing scandal in 2013, has recommended changes in the structure of the BCCI.
The Justice Lodha committee on Monday recommended far-reaching changes to cricket administration in India and called on the legislature to seriously consider bringing the Board of Control for Cricket in India under the purview of the Right to Information Act. The report was made public at a press conference in Delhi on Monday, hours after the committee submitted its report to the Supreme Court. These recommendations are not binding on the BCCI unless the Supreme Court mandates their implementation.
Some of the recommendations made by the committee were:
- Only one cricket association from every state should be a "Full Member" and possess full voting rights.
- There should be separate governing bodies for the Indian Premier League and the BCCI. The IPL's chief governing body should be reconstituted, with representation from the franchisees, a newly-formed players' association and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India's office.
- The day-to-day management of the BCCI should be controlled by a Chief Executive Officer, assisted by six managers who will be answerable to an Apex Council.
- A players' association should be establish, with membership open to all international, first-class and retired players.
- Office-bearers of the BCCI should fulfil several criteria: They should be citizens of India, should not be above 70 years of age, not be insolvent and most importantly, not be a minister or a government servant. The tenure of each office-bearer should be restricted to three years and they should not be allowed to have consecutive terms without a cooling-off period.
- State associations should comply with norms, and those that do not would be exempt from the BCCI's uniform subsidy.
- Senior selection committees should only comprise those who have played international Test matches.
The Supreme Court-mandated Justice Lodha committee was entrusted to investigate affairs of the BCCI after the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. Allegations of fixing specific parts of Indian Premier League matches had rocked the cricket board, with top officials, including then BCCI chief N Srinivasan, and popular players such as S Sreesanth, being named. In the first part of its report released in July last year, it recommended the suspension of the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchises amidst other points of action.