Sachin, Ganguly and Kumble among others to be affected by BCCI’s new code of conduct

Sachin, Ganguly and Kumble among others to be affected by BCCI’s new code of conduct: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)is all set to bring about a directive that would ensure that nobody associated with the BCCI would fall in the realms of a certain term called “conflict of interest” which has developed a love affair with the board in recent times. The board had earlier notified its members to sign an undertaking declaring that they do not have ‘conflict of interest’ while holding functionary posts in their respective cricket associations.

“The Ethics code would describe the minimum requirements for conduct and behavioural expectations. To ensure transparency, BCCI would get the draft ethics code vetted and finalized by an eminent senior lawyer with impeccable credibility and reputation”, said Mr. Anurag Thakur, BCCI Secretary. The ‘no conflict of interest’ clause would include no direct business links with any cricketing affairs in BCCI including interest or stake in IPL teams, sponsorship’s or looking after specific players’ interests. As the board toughens its stand on conflict of interest, some of Indian cricket’s stalwarts could find themselves on the wrong side of the law:

A look at the BCCI members who may face the repercussions of the clause:

1.Anil Kumble: Chairman, BCCI’s technical committee, he is Mentor, Mumbai Indians, and co-founder of Tenvic, a company in the business of sports training and consulting.

2. Brijesh Patel: Chairman, BCCI’s new area development committee, and secretary, Karnataka State Cricket Association. He is Head (Cricket Operations) for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

3. Ravi Shastri: Director, Indian cricket team, and contracted to the BCCI as a commentator. He is Member, IPL governing council.

4. Sunil Gavaskar: Contracted to the BCCI as a commentator. He runs Professional Management Group (PMG), a sports marketing agency that has signed a number of cricketers, including Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan.

5. Sachin Tendulkar: Member, BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, also mentor of Mumbai Indians.

6. Rahul Dravid: Coach, India U-19 and India ‘A’, he is Mentor, Rajasthan Royals.

7. VVS Laxman: Member, BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, he is Mentor, Sunrisers Hyderabad.

8. Sourav Ganguly: Member, BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, and a broadcaster. Last commentary assignment was the 2015 ICC World Cup.

9. Sanjay Bangar: Coach, Indian cricket team, he also coaches Kings XI Punjab.

Ajay Shirke, former IPL governing council member and BCCI treasurer, is on the side of cricketers. “My personal opinion is that a cricketer’s direct involvement with the game is not conflict of interest. They’re contributing to cricket through coaching, commentary or representation in the (BCCI/state association) committees. There has to be some rationale. If the cricketers stick to their primary job and contribute to the game, then I don’t think there’s an issue”. These problems have not cropped up now. They have been part of media discussions for quite some time. It remains to be seen how serious the BCCI is about cleaning up cricket and whether it will now have to take some very tough decisions.