BCCI rejects revised sports bill; Yuvraj promoted

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has categorically rejected the revised sports bill which sports minister Ajay Maken is proposing to introduce. At its working committee meeting in Kolkata, the BCCI said the bill was an encroachment upon the fundamental rights of the national sports bodies.

DNA had reported in its October 26 edition that the BCCI would formulate a strategy with regard to the revised sports bill, which had been sent to the national federation in order to seek their suggestions.

The members of the working committee were apprised of the points of the bill, once rejected by the union cabinet. The members believed the bill was aimed at destroying the autonomy of their rights. “While the BCCI is all for good governance and transparency in sports bodies, certain aspects of the bill seek to destroy the board’s autonomy and dilute rights of its members. Therefore, the board is totally opposed to this bill and will be communicating its objections to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports shortly,” the BCCI said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has finalised the central contracts for the Indian team, the only surprise being Yuvraj Singh’s promotion from Grade B to Grade A. Every player in Grade A is entitled to a retainer fee of Rs1crore.

Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma are the other notable names in the top grade.

Harbhajan Singh, now out of favour with the national selectors, retains his position in Grade A. Interestingly, Ashish Nehra, who has not been part of the national team since the World Cup, has not made it to the list of contracted players.

Twelve contracted players are in Grade A, five in B and 20 in C. R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja are in Grade B, while youngsters such as Varun Aaron, Rahul Sharma and Umesh Yadav are in Grade C.

Among the other significant decisions, the BCCI has appointed, Evan Speechly, as the physiotherapist of the Indian team. Speechly, a physio with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, has been handed a two-year contract. He will join the team during the third Test between India and the West Indies in Mumbai. In another decision, the BCCI has decided to place Indian Premier League in the List ‘A’ category. The BCCI has also instituted an award in the name of Lala Amarnath for the best all-rounders in the Ranji Trophy and domestic limited-overs tournaments. The award will comprise a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakhs.