BCCI to appoint new selection panel today

The BCCI will have its Annual General meeting in Mumbai today to select a new panel of senior selectors for the Indian cricket team. The five zones have already told the BCCI what their preferences are. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 12 noon.

With the Kris Srikkanth led selection panel having served their 4-year term, a mimimum of four changes are likely to the existing selection panel as they are not eligible to continue as per the Board's norms, which has not been followed strictly in the past.

The likes of Srikkanth, Narendra Hirwani, Raja Venkat and Surendra Bhave will make way for a new panel, which include the likes of Roger Binny, Abey Kuruvilla and Karsan Ghavri.

In the 1980s, Chandu Borde was a selector for four years, including two as chairman of the panel and then returned to head the committee for yet another term of three years from 1999-2000 to 2001-02, as per the "BCCI Statistical Annual", a publication that has been discontinued over the last 3 years.

Current secretary Sanjay Jagdale was also a selector for a total of seven years between 2000-01 and 2007-08 barring the 2004-05 period.

The fifth selector in the incumbent panel, Mohinder Amarnath (North), has completed just one year of his tenure and can be re-appointed provided the Board members - especially from North - are in his favour.

However, there have been reports that his re-appointment may not happen as there is a move to make either another former Delhi Test cricketer Chetan Chauhan or Punjab's Vikram Rathore as the zonal selector in his place.

"Mohinder Amarnath had a tiff with Srikkanth as he wanted to replace (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni with (Virender) Sehwag (in the aftermath of India's row of eight Test defeats in England and Australia). As captain of Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni has the backing of the president (N Srinivasan)," an official of a BCCI affiliate said on condition of anonymity.

When he was brought into the panel from the Indian Premier League governing council, Amarnath was reported to have been promised chairmanship of the committee once Srikkanth completed his term.

If Amarnath is not retained, Roger Binny, who is the frontrunner to take Srikkanth's place from South Zone, would become the new chief selector, it is learnt.

There is a tussle going on for the sole representative's spot from East zone with quite a few claimants like Deep Das Gupta, Dewang Gandhi, Arup Bhattacharjee (all from Bengal), Orissa's Debasish Mohanty and Jharkhand's Subroto Banerjee and the zonal representatives have to come to a consensus.

The final decision on the appointment of selectors, who would get Rs. 40 lakh annually as salary, lies with the Board members after they get feedbacks from the zones, according to the BCCI sources.

From West, Mumbai's Abey Kuruvilla, a former India pace bowler, appears to be the frontrunner after having chaired the junior selection committee that picked the World Cup Under-19 winning team.

Others in the running are former pacer Karsan Ghavri, ex-stumper Nayan Mongia and former coach Anshuman Gaekwad, it was learnt.

Former UP wicketkeeper-batsman Sunil Chaturvedi's name is the most prominent from among those making the rounds from Central Zone.

The AGM will also appoint the junior and women's selection panels, plus more than a dozen various sub committees, including the IPL Governing Council that is now headed by Rajiv Shukla.

IPL matters are bound to come up for discussion, including the court case involving the cash-strapped Deccan Chargers.

Routine matters like passing of the annual report and balance sheet would also be taken up as the Board will determine how much money would be disbursed to the affiliates by the parent unit as subsidy from TV rights and IPL revenue.

(With PTI inputs)