BCCI AGM to discuss 2009 IPL accounts

Mumbai:

The Cricket Board's 80th AGM, scheduled here on September 24, has a 13-point agenda including clearing of IPL-II accounts, which came under the public scanner following dissensions within the BCCI.

The expenditure for the IPL, shifted to South Africa because of general elections, includes a bill of Rs 33 crore to be paid to event management firm IMG. This did not go down well with the members of the all-powerful Working Committee.

A resultant termination letter sent to the IMG by secretary N Srinivasan brought in a wave of protest letters from seven franchises and former president Sharad Pawar.

The development was seen as a tug-of-war between BCCI heavyweights Srinivasan, also owner of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings, and Lalit Modi, the chairman of IPL and a vice president of the Board.

The controversy halted, at least temporarily, when IPL Governing Council vested BCCI President Shashank Manohar with the powers to deal with the matter and report to the AGM.

"It will be sorted out," a top BCCI source said when asked whether any progress has been made in the matter.

The AGM is to consider and approve the income and expenditure accounts of IPL 2, as per the agenda circulated to the members.

The surplus accruing to the BCCI through the cash-awash IPL has been hit because of extra expenditure incurred in holding the event overseas, but still each association is set to get Rs eight crore as its share of the profits.

The income to the Board, a whopping Rs 1,000 crore, has also come down substantially. The surplus for 2008-09 is Rs 537.72 crore as compared to Rs 303.15 crore in 2007-08, down from the previously estimated Rs 878.36 crore, according to BCCI sources.

For 2009-10, the estimated surplus is to the tune of Rs 891.72 crore, the sources said.

The Board distributes 26 per cent of its gross revenue, barring those accruing from the sale of TV rights, to the players with half of it being disbursed to the international players and the rest to domestic senior and junior cricketers.

With there being no elections due for any post, the AGM is projected to be a routine affair barring the fact that political heavyweight Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, is expected to attend it as the newly elected president of the Gujarat Cricket Association.

Following the recent turmoil in the Rajasthan Cricket Association interest has arisen over who would represent the association at the AGM.

The appointment of the senior and junior selection committees as well as the women's panel, is also on the agenda of the meeting.

As per indications there is not going to be any change in the selection panels whose members are paid and will appointed on a yearly basis.

Other items on the agenda include adoption of the annual reports of the president and secretary as well as the accounts and auditor's report ending March 31, 2009.

The annual budget for 2009-10 would also have to be approved as well as auditors for the new financial year.

The meeting would also consider applications for membership from new associations and appoint BCCI's representative in the International Cricket Council.

The meeting would also elect members of various committees, including its Working Committee, Finance, Tours Programmes, Fixtures Committee and the Technical Committee.