BCCI Players' Association to be formed soon

According to reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) the much-awaited Players’ Association would soon take shape. The first meeting in this direction will be held in Mumbai on Thursday (December 21). The meeting will be attended by former Test cricketers Kapil Dev, Aunshuman Gaekwad and Bharath Reddy, along with Shantha Rangaswamy, the original icon of women’s cricket in India, as the women’s representative.

Former Home Secretary G. K. Pillai will assist the committee, helping it establish the administrative process along with Board Chief Executive Officer Rahul Johri. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) had initially recommended Kapil, Mohinder Amarnath, Anil Kumble and Diana Edulji in the steering committee to help form the Players’ Association as per Lodha Panel Recommendations.

However, all three were out of the picture since Kumble took over as the India head coach while Amarnath expressed his unwillingness for personal reasons. Edulji could not accept the offer because she was a part of the CoA.

The apex global body to represent players interest – the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) – has long supported the idea of a Players’ Association in India. A body was earlier formed under the guidance of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Arun Lal but it failed to make any impact.

Of late, former players have been engaged in forming associations at the state level and some of them have also completed the registration process. The BCCI never liked the idea of a Players’ Association but Lodha Committee Recommendations have made it a mandatory requirement.

According to the recommendations, a member of the Players’ Association will have to be included in the Apex Council which will take important decisions related to cricketing matters, as reported by Sportstar. The CoA is keen on gaining something fruitful with the experience of Kapil, Gaekwad, Reddy and Rangaswamy.