18 Facts about Jagmohan Dalmiya- A Revolutionary figure

18 Facts about Jagmohan Dalmiya- A Revolutionary figure: Jagmohan Dalmiya was the Indian cricket administrator who is responsible for changing the fortunes of cricket into a global sport. His work is considered to be revolutionary for cricket and he was exceptional as an administrator. Dalmiya is the prime reason behind BCCI’s emergence as a superpower and the richest cricket body. Dalmiya was excellent in marketing cricket and he has carved out a very special place in the folklore of the world of administration in cricket.

Dalmiya hailed from a business background and used all his mastery and business tactics during his stint as an administrator to turn things around in an unconventional yet powerful manner.

Today, we list 18 Facts about Jagmohan Dalmiya- A Revolutionary figure:

1. Birth:

Dalmiya was born on 30 May 1940 in Calcutta, India to a Marwari Bania family.

2. Early life:

He studied at the Scottish Church College, Calcutta. During his College days, he was very passionate about cricket and played as a wicket-keeper batsman who opened the innings for his club. Dalmiya had represented Jorabagan and Rajasthan clubs. He has even scored a double-century in club cricket.

3. Father’s demise:

Dalmiya’s father passed away when he was only 19 years old. This untimely death burdened him with many responsibilities. And he had to join his family’s business, ML Dalmiya & Sons which meant he had to give up his dream of playing professional cricket.

4. ML Dalmiya & Sons:

Jagmohan Dalmiya turned ML Dalmiya & Sons into one of India’s top construction firms. It is this firm which constructed the famous Calcutta’s Birla Planetarium in 1963.

5. Early Association with BCCI:

Jagmohan Dalmiya joined BCCI in 1979 and in the next 4 years he was the treasurer of the board. People say before joining BCCI he was involved with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) under former President BN Dutt. Those who have seen him in CAB opine that he was very good with numbers.

6. Legacy:

Though he achieved many things throughout his life span as a cricket administrator but he will always be remembered as the person who along with Inderjit Singh Bindra played a pivotal role in bringing World Cup of 1987 and 1996 to Asia.

7. Battle with Prasar Bharti:

Jagmohan Dalmiya had fought Court battles with Prasar Bharti over telecast rights. There was a time when BCCI had to pay Doordarshan in order to get cricket games telecasted, but he changed this completely. Dalmiya won the case in the Supreme Court and suddenly Prasar Bharati was forced to bid for TV rights. And ever since the board has earned big bucks through broadcast rights.

8. India v England series 1992/93:

As a result of this victory the telecast rights of the India-England series in 1992-93 was sold to TWI for a whopping amount, Rs 18 Lakh. After this deal there was no looking back for the BCCI and it started its journey towards becoming the richest board in the world that it is today.

9. ICC President:

In 1996, he had fallen short of a two-third majority because of which he couldn’t head the ICC by becoming the President. But in 1997, he was elected as the ICC President. Jagmohan Dalmiya was the first Asian ICC President.

10. Successful time in ICC:

He not only changed the fortunes of BCCI but also turned around ICC’s fate and made it a richer body. When he started his stint in 1997, the ICC had only £16000 in its kitty. By the time he bid good bye from the ICC in 2000, it had over $15 million in its account, which perfectly reflects his business competence and administrative mastery.

11. The Mike Denness controversy:

In 2001 on India’s tour of South Africa, a major controversy broke out when the ICC match referee Mike Denness fined and banned 6 Indian players including Tendulkar, Ganguly, Harbhajan and Sehwag. Dalmiya backed his players and after that in the 3rd Test Denness was not allowed to referee the match by BCCI and the UCBSA and as a result it became an unofficial Test.

12. Tax Exemption:

Dalmiya knew how to use his business tact in all the deals he struck in cricket as well which made him a pioneer in administration. He played a crucial role in 2004 India’s tour of Pakistan and after that he got Income Tax exemption for the International Cricket Council (ICC) events held in India and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006.

13. BCCI President:

He was elected as the BCCI President in 2001 and his term ended in 2004. The term was characterized by controversies. In 2004, he had used his casting vote against Sharad Pawar when there was a tie in BCCI Presidential poll. But in 2005, his candidate Ranbir Singh Mahendra lost to Sharad Pawar by a heavy margin.

14. Ban:

After tasting defeat in the elections he had to face further miseries when in 2006 he was banned by the BCCI from all its meetings for alleged financial irregularities which were related to 1996 PILCOM funds. After that he was also stripped of the post of CAB’s President.

15. Comeback:

Jagmohan Dalmiya was always a tough nut to crack and in 2007 he not only got relief from the court after the charges against him couldn’t be proved but he also won the Presidential elections for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). After that he held the top post in CAB till 2013.

16. Return to BCCI:

After all controversies he kept himself away from BCCI all the years between 2008 and 2013 but yet his grip was not that loose as in 2013 he was made the interim President of BCCI after IPL corruption scandals. While in March 2015, he was elected as the President of BCCI for the second time.

17. Death:

On September 17, 2015 Dalmiya suffered a massive heart attack. He was admitted to the BM Birla hospital, Kolkata. But unfortunately he passed away on September 20, 2015 at the age of 75 and left behind a big void.

18. Honors:

In 1996, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) declared him as one of the world’s top six sports executives. In 2005, Dalmiya was honored with International Journal of the History of Sports Achievement award for administrative excellence in global sport.