The world’s richest cricket board BCCI has got a new boss. On Tuesday 18 October 2022, former cricketer Roger Binny was appointed as the new President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, replacing Sourav Ganguly. Roger Binny was a member of the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team. He was the highest wicket-taker in that tournament. Now he will be seen in a new role.
With this, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it clear that the current International Cricket Council (ICC) president will support Greg Barclay and will not support Sourav Ganguly’s name for the post. The office bearers have been given the right to decide on the selection of BCCI representatives in the ICC and the CEC at the AGM.
Roger Binny’s election as BCCI President was pre-determined as no one else had nominated for the post. There was also a discussion in the AGM about who would be the two representatives of BCCI in the ICC. Jay Shah is expected to be the BCCI representative at ICC board meetings.
The BCCI has now made it clear that it will not send anyone for the ICC chairmanship and will give a second term to New Zealand’s Greg Barkley. Earlier on Monday, 17 October 2022, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that she would request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the country’s former cricketer to contest for the post of ICC President.
Sourav Ganguly is a popular face in West Bengal. His removal from the BCCI has triggered a political tussle between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP. CPI(M) and Congress have also questioned Ganguly’s exit from the cricket body. Non-BJP parties have alleged that the former cricketer has paid a price for saying no to joining the BJP.