CoA to bring back 5 member selection panel

The Committee of Administrators is set to bring in the previous formula of selecting the Indian cricket teams through a five-member selection panel. However, the CoA, who are appointed by the Supreme Court will not select the five selectors according to the zones like before.

This time, the selectors will be chosen according to their merit as directed by the Justice Lodha Panel. The selection panel in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) comprises of 3 members at present.

If the CoA is to be believed, the decision of bringing back the 5 member selection panel was taken after the majority of State Associations demanded the same. According to the State Associations, “a big country like India cannot be handled by merely three selectors”.

Date of announcement

The decision is expected to be finalised when the Committee of Administrators sit on 25th of June in a meeting with all the State Associations of the Board.

With almost a year gone since SC judgement came to validate Justice Lodha panel reforms, the CoA is desperate for some development in this matter. There is a huge possibility that the argumentative issue of ‘one state one vote’ will also be taken up in this meeting.

“The COA will discuss the implementation of Lodha report in various states. And it has open mind on ‘one state one vote’ for a simple reason that Mumbai and Mizoram cannot be put in same bracket,” said the source.

Interestingly CoA does not have plans to include all these discussions that will be submitted to the Supreme Court prior to the July 14 hearing. “The COA’s assurance doesn’t guarantee anything. Whatever comes, comes from SC,” said a source.

Some states have completely backed out from holding talks with the CoA because they believe that the issue is still being heard in the Supreme Court. The next date of hearing is scheduled to be on July 14th, 2017.