BCCI - Board of Control for Cricket in India

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World T20, 2nd Semi-Final

India vs West Indies

at Mumbai, Mar 31, 2016
West Indies 196/3 beat India 192/2 by 7 wickets

Board of Control for Cricket in India

BCCI, India

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI, is the governing body for cricket in India. This is India's richest sporting body. The President of BCCI is Sharad Pawar (elected 29 November, 2005). Niranjan Shah is the secretary.
All the office-bearers for the year 2004-05, were elected at the annual general meeting of the Board held in Kolkata.
On January 10, 2005, the Supreme Court of India ordered the removal of Jagmohan Dalmiya from the post of patron-in-chief of BCCI and also asked the board to complete its annual general meeting (AGM) which had been adjourned on September 30, 2004.
The legality of the office-bearer's election at the board's annual general meeting (AGM) held on September 29, 2004 is subjudice.

BCCI Cricket News July 2006

Jagmohan Dalmiya is CAB president again

Jul 30, 2006
Eden Gardens, the majestic stadium which has witnessed many a cricket cliff-hanger, is all set for a different match off the field Sunday evening as ace cricket administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya fights to retain his presidency in the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) elections.
Prasun Mukherjee, the city police commissioner backed by both West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and the state's cricket icon Sourav Ganguly, has posed a tough challenge to Dalmiya for whom a win in the CAB elections is essential to fight the present Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regime that has slapped on him charges of fund misappropriation. The high-voltage elections are also crucial to political leaders in West Bengal with Dalmiya spurning the chief minister's request of stepping aside from the poll fray so that former India captain Ganguly can return to the team by winning the hearts of the Sharad Pawar group. However, a section of the ruling Left Front led by Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty has openly favoured Dalmiya. Dalmiya and Mukherjee will have to compete to garner 60 votes needed to become CAB president. While the final voter list contains 119 names of the 121 affiliates of CAB, it can be reduced to 118 Sunday because of a court injunction on one cricket club.
The key to a win for either also depends much on 40 new voters, fence sitters and those who can shift loyalty at the last moment. Meanwhile, an opinion poll conducted by MODE for city daily The Telegraph found that 67 percent of the respondents want Dalmiya to retain his first-floor chamber at the CAB. The disapproval of the chief minister's role was also loud as per the poll. As many as 75 percent of the 200 Kolkatans of various age groups interviewed said they did not support Bhattacharya's involvement in the elections to one of the country's richest cricket associations. While the chief minister's interference to install an anti-Dalmiya camp in the CAB began politicisation of the election process, the sports minister upped the ante by openly supporting Dalmiya and calling Ganguly an opportunist for back-stabbing Dalmiya despite taking favours from the cricket administrator to climb the ladder of success. Ashok Bhattacharya, another important West Bengal Minister and a close associate of Sourav, however, came out in support of the beleaguered cricketer by flaying the ministers who called Sourav an opportunist. With the Left Front ministers trading charges, Front chairman Biman Bose had to ask the ministers to keep mum on the election to a cricket body and refrain from public disgrace.

India might play tri-series in Australia in September

Jul 26, 2006
With the proposed series against the West Indies in Canada being shelved, the Indian Cricket Board is toying with the idea of playing a tri-series ahead of the Champions Trophy in September.
The BCCI has received a proposal from Cricket Australia who are said to be eager to host a tri-series involving West Indies as the third team. If the proposal comes off, the tri-series will be held in September as a build up to the Champions Trophy to be hosted by India in October-November, BCCI sources said today. Brisbane, Perth and Darwin are the three venues that have been shortlisted for the triangular tournament. BCCI has also received proposals from some other boards who are willing to fill in the gap left by Canada, which had expressed its inability to host India and West Indies citing the short time available for them to prepare the grounds.

India to play nine ODI series in five years

Jul 23, 2006
The Indian cricket team will play as many as nine one-day series abroad between 2006 and 2010, a top board official has disclosed. And, this will not be part of the five-match annual one-day series that India and Pakistan will be playing at a neutral venue for five years, starting this year or the next.
Lalit Modi, chief of the marketing sub-committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said the venues for the proposed overseas series could be as spread out as Singapore, Holland, Australia and Canada. "We are proposing a tri-series with Australia and the West Indies in September overseas. There are four or five venues for this, Modi said. A series with the West Indies, and possibly a third team, was proposed in Canada this year. But after the venue in Toronto (not Toronto Cricket Skating and the Curling Club) apparently could not meet the stipulated seating and other requirements for an international match, the BCCI is looking elsewhere. "We are going to have the next series in June, which will be in the US or Europe," said Modi, disclosing the series in the pipeline. "Thereafter, there will be series in June 2008, May, July and September 2009 and May, July and September 2010. They all will be played abroad. Modi, also president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, said the structure of these competitions and opponents had not been finalised yet. "We havent decided whether they will be triangular or bilateral series, but there are Pakistan in it, Australia, South Africa and West Indies, he said. "These are the four countries we are examining for playing on off-shore venues. As and when we reach the final agreement in terms of venues we will finalise those series one by one. But while finalising these one-day jaunts, the BCCI will have to ensure that it did not exceed the maximum 30 one-day internationals and 15 Test matches in a 12-month period as per the Future Tours Programme (FTP) of the International Cricket Council. According to the FTP, India is scheduled to play 24-27 ODIs in 2006-07, 35-43 in 2007-08, 28 in 2008-09, 24-29 in 2009-10, 32-39 in 2010-11 and 21-24 matches in 2011-12. Over the six-year period, India will be playing anything between 173 and 203 one-day internationals. This is the most hectic schedule of the 10-Test playing nations.

BCCI cancels ODI series with West Indies

Jul 21, 2006
The One-Day International cricket series between India and West Indies will not be held in Canada as the host nation is not prepared to stage the matches this year, Indian Cricket Board said on Friday.
BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said the Canada Cricket Association had conveyed their inability to host the ODI series in September this year and the Board was contemplating shifting the tournament to another venue. "Canada is not prepared to host the event this year. They have said they cannot give all the facilities and make arrangements for the teams by September," Shah said. "The series can now be held at other places, maybe in Holland, Singapore or Malaysia or anywhere else. We are looking at what could be worked out," he said. "We have received a lot of proposals and are considering them," he said. He said West Indies Cricket Board had also been informed about it. The series against the West Indies was planned after India agreed to help the West Indies Board's finances by playing matches outside the ICC's official Test and one-day programme. The series was also seen as a preparation for the Champions Trophy to be held in October-November in India. The series was already under a cloud after it was reported on Thursday that the West Indies Players' Association had threatened to boycott the event because it had not been taken into confidence by the West Indies Cricket Board about the proposed matches.

BCCI to have own stadium for 2011 Cup

Jul 20, 2006
The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) recently announced setting up of its first completely owned stadium at New Delhi for the 2011 World Cup Final Clash.
BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said: "The estimated construction cost of this entire stadium is between Rs 300-400 crore. The final stage procedural negotiations are in progress with the Delhi Development Authority." The board is in the process of acquiring 35 acres of land in New Delhi for this purpose. This stadium will have the state of art entertainment and accommodations facilities including a five-star club too. The core objective of constructing this stadium will be by and large based on providing comfort and security to the spectators who would gather here to witness the excitement of the final cricket bash of World Cup 2011 scheduled in India, explained Shah. However, this stadium will not by and large affect the existing dominance of the Firoz Shah Kotla Maidan at New Delhi, as other games will also be played here, added Shah.
Even the BCCI president Sharad Pawar is of an opinion of upgrading existing cricket stadiums across the country and the board has taken significant decision in this direction too, he said. "We have selected stadiums all across the country where test cricket matches are played and have sanctioned subsidy amounting to Rs 25 crore for upgrading the existing facilities there. We are focussing on providing spectator friendly ambiance even here," explained Shah. In addition to this, additional funds of Rs 4 crore have been sanctioned for the cricket associations across the country with an objective of eveloping and establishing cricket training academy, added Shah.

BCCI accepts Twenty20 Cricket

Jul 16, 2006
BCCI on Sunday dropped its opposition to the game's Twenty-20 version, deciding to participate in the inaugural World Cup in South Africa in 2007. "The Indian cricket board was not in favour of the Twenty-20 version, but it was isolated as most other nations supported the idea," said N Srinivasan, BCCI treasurer.
"We've accepted the International Cricket Council's decision in good grace, and agreed to participate in the World Cup," Srinivasan told reporters after a meeting of the high-powered working panel. Niranjan Shah, secretary of the board, said India was the only nation that did not support the Twenty-20 World Cup's proposal in a recent meeting of ICC officials. "We were outvoted 10-1 at the ICC meeting, but won't stay away from the Twenty-20 World Cup," Shah said. India had earlier opposed the ICC's plans to expand the Twenty-20 version's international fixtures, even refusing to entertain the plans to include this shorter game in the 2010 Commonwealth Games - to be staged in the Indian capital of New Delhi. Srinivasan said Indian cricketers would be provided a chance to prepare for shorter version of the game ahead of the Twenty-20 World Cup. A tournament among five regional teams will be played in April-May next year, after the Indian team returns from the limited-overs World Cup in the West Indies, Srinivasan said. "We couldn't introduce any new competition to this year's packed domestic schedule, but the next season's calendar will feature more Twenty-20 matches," he said. Shah said the Indian team would be introduced to the Twenty-20 version when it plays one match against South Africa in November during the coming tour of South Africa.

Wasim Jaffer awarded central contract

Jul 03, 2006
Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer was on Monday awarded a Grade C contract by the Indian Cricket Board following his good show in the just-concluded four-Test series against West Indies.
The right-handed batsman will now be entitled to retainership fee under the contract. "Jaffer would be entitled for retainership on prorate basis from June 15 till the end of September 2006," BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement. Jaffer aggregated 372 runs at 53.14 from seven innings in the series which India won 1-0 on Sunday.

Cricket in India

Cricket is the unofficial national sport of India, and its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as race, caste, religion and nationality. Though cricket is indubitably the most popular sport in India, it is not the nation's national sport (a distinction held by field hockey).
Cricket, like field hockey, was first introduced to India by the British. The earliest recorded match was played in 17211 by British sailors on shore leave. With the expansion of British rule throughout the subcontinent, the British took the game with them wherever they went. However, the early history of the game was focused largely on the large cities, particularly Bombay (now Mumbai).
The first Indians to play the game at a high level were the Parsi minority in Bombay. Beginning in 1892, an annual match was played between the Parsis and the Europeans. In 1907, this became a triangular tournament with the Hindus fielding a team, and in 1912 a Muslim team entered what was for twenty years the biggest tournament in Indiathe Bombay Quadrangular.
Among the biggest stars in the early years of Indian cricket were the four Palwankar brothers, Shivram, Ganpat and Vithal but particularly the slow left-arm bowler, Palwankar Baloo. This was particularly noteworthy as the Palwankars were from one of the untouchable castes. Treated as equals on the cricket field, off-field they often faced discrimination. This changed slowly; however, Palwankar Vithal did eventually captain the Hindu team in the quadrangular.
The formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1929 led to a first Test match with England three years later. In 1935, the Ranji Trophy began; it continues to the present as the leading regional tournament in India, with each state fielding a team. The trophy was a deliberate attempt to avoid the communalism of the quadrangular tournament.
The Indian cricket team has won one Cricket World Cup, in 1983. India also reached the finals in 2003, but lost to Australia. In recent years, Indian cricket has been marked by the intense and occasionally violent rivalry with Pakistan. Furthermore, there were several scandals related to match fixing and gambling, but these were not restricted to India; they plagued several different teams.
International cricket in India generally does not follow a fixed pattern like, for example, the English schedule under which the nation tours other countries during winter and plays at home during the summer. Generally, there has recently been a tendency to play more one-day matches than Test matches.

Ranji Trophy

Founded as 'The Cricket Championship of India' at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934. The first Ranji Trophy fixtures took place in the 1934-35 season. Syed Mohammed Hadi of Hyderabad was the first batsman to score a century in the tournament. The Trophy was donated by H.H. Sir Bhupendra Singh Mahinder Baha-dur, Maharajah of Patiala in memory of His late Highness Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji of Nawanagar. In the main, the Ranji Trophy is composed of teams representing the states that make up India. As the political states have multiplied, so have cricket teams, but not every state has a team. Some states have more than one cricket team, e.g. Maharashtra and Gujarat. There are also 'odd' teams like Railways, and Services representing the armed forces. The various teams used to be grouped into zones - North, West, East, Central and South - and the initial matches are played on a league basis within the zones. The top two (till 1991-92), top three teams from each zone then play in a national knock-out competition. Starting with the 2002-03 season, the zonal system has been abandoned and a two-division structure has been adopted with two teams being promoted from the plate league and two relegated from the elite league. If the knockout matches are not finished they are decided on the first-innings lead.

Irani Trophy

The Irani Trophy tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970. The first match, played between the Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of India was played in 1959-60 with the trophy being instituted in the name of Zal Irani, long time treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and a keen patron of the game. For the first few years, it was played at the fag end of the season. Realising the importance of the fixture, the BCCI moved it to the beginning of the season. Since 1965-66, it has traditionally heralded the start of the new domestic season. The Irani Trophy game ranks very high in popularity and importance. It is one of the few domestic matches that is followed with keen interest by cricket lovers in the country. Leading players take part in the game which has often been a sort of selection trial to pick the Indian team for foreign tours.

Duleep Trophy

The Duleep Trophy competition was started by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1961-62 with the aim of providing a greater competitive edge in domestic cricket - because, apart from the knock-out stages of the Ranji Trophy, that competition proved predictable, with Bombay winning for fifteen consecutive years. The Duleep was also meant to help the selectors in assessing form. The original format was that five teams, drawn from the five zones, play each other on a knock-out basis. From the 1993-94 season, the competition has been converted to a league format.

Harbhajan Singh Memorabilia

Singh's Magnificent Hat Trick

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On the 1st Day of the 2nd Test, India versus Australia, in March 2001, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Harbhajan Singh achieved what no other Indian cricketer had ever done - he snared a magnificent Hat Trick.
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Editor: Nishanth Gopinathan.