Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
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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 March 2006
India to take game to the masses
March 31, 2006
India's cricket chiefs say they will attempt to raise extra revenue by staging "home" matches against other countries at venues across the globe.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is inviting bids for global media rights for any matches India will play on neutral grounds for five years.
India will aim to play in venues like the USA, Canada and Malaysia.
It has also identified the Middle East, Hong Kong and Singapore as "key markets" where it wants India's already weary travelling cricketers to play.
Reuters news agency believes the BCCI can raise an extra 115 million through this initiative.
However, the International Cricket Council has already expressed fears the plans could be in conflict with its future tours programme of Tests and one-day internationals.
India seek Pakistan games backing
March 30, 2006
The Indian cricket board is looking for sponsors for two one-day games against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi next month.
They have set a Friday deadline for sealed bids of at least 1.7m.
The matches will take place on 18 and 19 April, with money from the first going towards the Kashmir earthquake relief fund.
More than 75,000 people are believed to have been killed in the earthquake, which happened last October.
The games in Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, are part of an initiative by both boards to stage games in countries with large expatriate populations.
It will not be the first time India and Pakistan have played each other away from the subcontinent - in the mid-1990s they played three series in Canada.
And they are hoping to stage five games in Europe in 2007, two of them in England - with Lord's a possible venue.
BCCI gives permission to Zaheer
March 29, 2006
BCCI has given its go ahead to left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan to play for Worcestershire where the Baroda seamer was signed up as a replacement for Australian left-arm bowler Nathan Bracken.
BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said, "we have no problem with it and after he sought the permission, the board has given him the necessary green signal." "As with everybody, Zaheer has also been told that there is a condition that whenever the country needs him, he has to come back to serve the national team," he added.
Presently out of the squad, Zaheer was roped in by the club after bracken had indicated he may not be available to play for most of the English season. The Baroda pacer is expected to be available for the entire season and is likely to join the club in mid-April for the start of the season.
Club's Director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, said the India was the right replacement. "Zaheer has had an outstanding domestic season in India and is exactly the type of player we feel will bring variation to our bowling attack," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Shah also informed that the board was finalising the joint Asian bid for the world cup 2011. "ICC has extended its deadilne to April 21 for a fresh bid and that gives us some more time to finalise things and we are working on that," he added.
Mumbai Police questions Dalmiya
March 27, 2006
Former Cricket Board President Jagmohan Dalmiya and three other former office-bearers of the BCCI on Monday appeared before the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the city police on the Bombay High Court's directive.
They have been charged with alleged misappropriation of Rs 21.74 lakh from the World Cup 1996 account.
Besides Dalmiya, the other office-bearers were former BCCI Secretary S K Nair and former treasurers Kishore Rungta and Jyoti Bajpai.
All four of them were taken to the Crime Branch office where they will be interrogated till 1700 hours IST. The Bombay High Court heard their anticipatory bail plea last week and extended an interim protection from arrest till April 10.
The four men are slated to appear before the concerned authority in Kolkata from April 3 to 5 as the investigations pertaining to the World Cup 1996 account operate in Kolkata. The court has also ordered them not to leave the country without its permission.
Dalmiya has alleged that the BCCI complaint was filed only with a view to pressurise, harass and humiliate him. He also said that he was falsely implicated by his rivals out of vengeance and alleged that the Maharashtra government was being controlled by a political party headed by BCCI president Sharad Pawar.
Nair, Rungta and Bajpai urged that they were being roped in the case only because they were Dalmiya's supporters.
Dalmiya contended that as an office-bearer of BCCI, he was entitled to open imprest accounts, one of which was operated by him at Kolkata under the name of BCCI whose name was later changed to World Cup 1996 for the sake of convenience.
He added that the imprest account was audited regularly and stood merged with accounts of BCCI every year, without any discrepency whatsoever till date. He also stated that the account for the period 2005-2006 is yet to be audited as the financial year would end on March 31 this year. The account, he said, was opened mainly to meet legal expenses incurred by BCCI to fight cases filed by Income Tax department for recovery of dues pertaining to revenue earned by PILCOM (Pakistan India Lanka Committee) during World Cup 1996.
This was the reason why the account was being operated for ten years. After ceasing to be PILCOM Secretary from January 23 this year, Dalmiya said he closed the World Cup 1996 (imprest) account and handed over records to BCCI.
Mumbai Police filed FIR against Dalmiya
March 23, 2006
An FIR filed at a Mumbai police station will force Indian crickets former boss, Jagmohan Dalmiya, to face police grilling on seven days for alleged embezzlement of World Cup 1996 funds.
Bombay High Court today asked the former Board of Control for Cricket in India president and three former board officials S.K. Nair, Kishore Rungta and Jyoti Bajpai to attend an inquiry by Mumbai polices economic offences wing in Mumbai and Calcutta.
The four accused must report at the wings Unit 3 office at Crawford Market police headquarters on March 27, 28, 29 and 31. The investigators will later travel to Calcutta to question them on April 3, 4 and 5. The grilling will last from 11 am to 5 pm on all seven days.
The police are probing the charge in the FIR, filed by board secretary Niranjan Shah on March 16, that the four officials had misappropriated board funds, falsified accounts and committed cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.
The high court deferred to April 10 the hearing of the anticipatory bail plea of the accused and extended the interim protection against their possible arrest till then. The judge also barred them from travelling abroad without the courts permission.
The board has accused Dalmiya of misappropriating about Rs 20 crore relating to the 1996 World Cup. The defence argued that Dalmiya was being victimised by the current board.
Jagmohan Dalmiya replies to BCCI Notice
March 23, 2006
Former Indian cricket board chief Jagmohan Dalmiya has replied to a notice served on him by the board in connection with a probe into corruption charges against him.
A close associate of Dalmiya said he had replied to the notice on Thursday, but did not give details. Dalmiya had been given time till Friday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to reply to the notice.
Dalmiya's associate also said the former cricket board chief would visit Mumbai on March 27 to appear for interrogation in keeping with orders of the Bombay High Court.
Dalmiya will visit Mumbai on March 27 and be there till March 31 to help in the investigation of the EOW (Economic Offences Wing) officers.
BCCI files FIR against Dalmiya
March 16, 2006
The infighting in the Cricket Board, on Thursday, took a serious turn with the new regime headed by Sharad Pawar filing an FIR against former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya for alleged misappropriation of funds during the 1996 World Cup.
On a day of high drama, BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah filed the FIR at the Marine Drive Police Station, giving a new twist to weeks of mudslinging between the two factions.
According to the FIR, the funds were allegedly misappropriated by Dalmiya from "1996 World Cup account" in connivance with other persons by preparing false records, senior Police Inspector Ajit Ranade told reporters.
The charges include criminal breach of trust (section 406), cheating (section 420), forgery (section 467) and 120-b (criminal conspiracy).
In Kolkata, former BCCI counsel Ushanath Banerjee, known to be close to Dalmiya, filed a civil suit against BCCI Vice-President Lalit Modi, claiming Rs 1.5 crore in damages for defamation for levelling unsubstantiated charges against him.
The civil suit was filed at the Alipur Court in Kolkata after a legal notice to Modi for seeking "unqualified apology" went unanswered.
Banerjee, who was the legal advisor to the Board during Dalmiya's reign, had sent a legal notice to Modi and Punjab Cricket Association chief I S Binda on March 11 demanding "unqualified apology" within 48 hours for levelling a "charge" against him.
The notice had mentioned a statement, allegedly made by the duo, that "Ushanath Banerjee, the lawyer of BCCI close to Dalmiya earned more than India's captain Rahul Dravid in 2005 while dealing with BCCI cases."
The new BCCI regime had recently accused Dalmiya of swindling BCCI money related to the 1996 World Cup PILCOM account.
The PILCOM (Pakistan-India-Lanka Committee) was formed to conduct the 1996 World Cup which was held in the sub-continent.
India police receive Dalmiya file
March 16, 2006
Indian cricket bosses have filed an official complaint with police chiefs in Mumbai (Bombay) as they pursue their case against Jagmohan Dalmiya.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India president Dalmiya is alleged to have "misappropriated" official funds.
The papers filed accuse Dalmiya of a "criminal breach of trust" in events centred on the 1996 World Cup.
Dalmiya said: "There is no truth in the allegations. The BCCI management has a single point agenda to malign me."
He went on: "I have not seen the papers and therefore cannot comment in detail.
"But from time to time, all details as asked for by the present BCCI management have been furnished by me."
Meanwhile, a close associate of Mr Dalmiya, U N Bannerjee has filed a defamation case against the present board vice-president Lalit Modi.
Modi had claimed Banerjee earned more money from the BCCI, which he represented as a lawyer, than India captain Rahul Dravid because of his proximity to Dalmiya.
Bannerjee told: "The allegation that I earned more than Dravid from April to November 2005 is bogus." Modi was unavailable for comment.
Dalmiya was the most powerful man in Indian cricket for two decades, and helped the board become the world's richest sporting body.
Team selection methods on agenda for new Indian panel
March 10, 2006
Former Indian cricket captains Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev have been appointed to a new board which will look at creating fairer selection methods for the national side and improving playing facilities.
The 11-member committee, set up on Friday, will report back within a month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement.
India captain Rahul Dravid, leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar and former captain Saurav Ganguly were among six cricketers who would provide input, it said.
India's five-man national selection committee, drawn from different areas of the country, have long faced criticism that they tend to back players from their own regions.
Some former players have called for a three-member panel to be created to end any regional bias, but senior board officials have said it would be impossible for them to cover the vast country.
Although the BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world, many Indian venues lack top-class facilities for players, spectators and the media.
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
Own a piece of Indian Cricket History
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.
Limited Edition Magnificent photographic collage of the three dismissals with the hat trick at Calcutta capturing photograph in each piece being personally signed by Harbhajan Singh. Each piece .encased in a timber frame with Perspex glazing and is supported by A-Tag microchip authentication technology, and comes complete with a Certificate of Authenticity.
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