Players association to be formed in India

The BCCI was lingering over the idea of a Players Association for quite some time now but since the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has taken the matters into its hands the process has taken some pace. It can be said that the players are finally going to get their association and can have a say in the decision-making in the BCCI that affects them.

The Lodha Committee had formed a four-member standing committee to work on the players association. The four members were Anil Kumble, Diana Edulji, Mohinder Amarnath and GK Pillai. Out of these four members, Kumble is currently coaching the Indian team and Diana Edulji is with the CoA hence former player Mohinder Amarnath and ex-union home secretary GK Pillai are left to do the work.

The COA has advised Amarnath and Pillai to start with the work of forming a Players Association. The criteria to get an entry in the association is that the former player has to have played at least ten first-class matches.

The role of standing committee

The role of the standing committee appointed by the Lodha Committee is to invite all the players and help them receive funds from the BCCI and communicate the names of the players to the board for nominations.

In the words of the Lodha panel, it is to, “identify and invite all eligible ex-cricketers to be members, to open bank accounts, receive funds from the BCCI, conduct the first elections for office bearers, and communicate the names of BCCI player nominees to the board.”

The idea behind forming this association is to give former players a say in the decision-making of the BCCI and help them voice their concerns. The members of the association should also get the benefits such as medical insurance and other commercial benefits.

The challenge

The criteria is that any player who has played more than 10 first-class games can enter the players association. However, there can be more than 5000 players who meet the eligibility and it will be extremely tough to filter out. According to the Indian Express, an online form will be uploaded on the website of the board and the players will have to fill in their details to be enrolled.

“The number of players who have played more than 10 first class games is huge. The numbers can be more than 5000. It will be a tedious process but the COA has informed us that players association work process will begin soon. And BCCI lawyer has also been told to come up with all the necessary documentation so that the standing committee’s work will be smooth,” a source was quoted as saying.