BCCI vs Lodha: SC-appointed panel trying to run cricket in India, alleges board

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday alleged in the Supreme Court that the Justice RM Lodha committee was trying to “run cricket” in the country by giving directions regarding match schedule, including the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), which was beyond its jurisdiction. BCCI alleged before a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur that the Lodha committee has fixed a gap of 15 days between domestic tournaments and the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was beyond its mandate. [caption id=“attachment_3058644” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational photo. AFP[/caption] Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for BCCI, said the Lodha panel had also given certain recommendations with regard to tenders and contracts which were purely administrative decisions and did not come under its purview. Morever, the apex court judgement also did not say so, he said. “Fixing schedule and setting conditions for award of tenders and contracts are purely administrative decisions. If the Lodha committee wants to run cricket then it is not a part of the judgement,” Sibal told the bench, also comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said. Sibal also questioned the purpose of recommendation to have three or five selectors for selecting the team and asked “does it serve the purpose of transparency?” “BCCI has floated global tenders for IPL and the terms and conditions are based on standards followed globally,” he said. To this, the bench said if Lodha committee does something beyond its jurisdiction, BCCI is at liberty to approach the apex court.