Ganguly swipes at Dalmiya over Chappell email

MUMBAI: On the very day that Jagmohan Dalmiya decided to contest the July 30 election for president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, his rivals delivered a solid punch.

At a press conference in Kolkata on Friday, Sourav Ganguly’s brother Snehashis flaunted an email in which the former India captain has extended support to Prasun Mukherjee, Dalmiya’s opponent.

The email was released hours after Dalmiya filed his nomination against the Kolkata police commissioner, ignoring Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s advice.

The email, sent to Snehashis from London on Friday, was more than an expression of support for Mukherjee. The four-line missive could hurt Dalmiya far more than any of the show-cause notices the BCCI has been sending him.

In the email, Ganguly, without naming Dalmiya, blamed him for spoiling his career, accusing him of leaking the email written by India coach Greg Chappell to then BCCI president Ranbir Singh Mahendra.

Wrote Sourav: “People who leak email and sacrifice players’ careers should be heavily punished. There are people in the CAB toying with the players’ careers to suit them.”

They should not be allowed to go scot-free as it takes years of hard work to reach a certain level in sports. Am happy that the Chief Minister and the people concerned are addressing the issue and working towards the right path.”

“Sourav’s support was always with us,” Mukherjee told DNA from Kolkata. “This email is an answer to those who doubted our claim.”

Late on Friday, an emotional Dalmiya told reporters, “Loyalties change with time. I am no longer president of the BCCI, so loyalty is not required as I have little to give now.”

He said he had been a vociferous supporter of Ganguly over the years. “I didn’t leak this email. Ask those who leaked it. Besides, who is saying this mail is from Sourav Ganguly?”