Anil Kumble-backed team sent packing in Karnataka State Cricket Association elections
Former Maharaja of Mysore Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and ex-Test star Brijesh Patel return to helm of affairs after three-year gap. Kumble did not seek re-election for president's post.
Anil Kumble-backed Sadanand Maiya was thrashed in a one-sided presidential elections of the Karnataka State Cricket Association on Sunday. Kumble did not contest this time after finishing his three-year term as KSCA chief. Returning to the helm of affairs was the former maharaja of Mysore, Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and ex-Test star Brijesh Patel. This combination was beaten by a team headed by Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad in 2010.
When Kumble, Srinath and Prasad took over in 2010, the KSCA was the first cricket association affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India to be run by former cricket stars. But Kumble indicated during a recent speech that handling cricket administration was a different cup of tea. It was clearly more difficult and complex than bowling leg-spin against the best batsmen in the world.
Kumble supported Maiya this time but being in the forefront and backing a candidate from the rear are two different things. Wadiyar (923 votes out of 1351) thrashed Maiya by a massive margin to return to the KSCA for his second stint. So dominant was the Wadiyar-Patel combination that it swept all posts in the elections that were held at Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Patel (977 votes), KSCA secretary between 2008 and 2010, defeated AV Jayaprakash on Sunday. In 2010, Patel had lost to Srinath, who did not contest this time. The Wadiyar group also has some prominent cricketers -- Sudhakar Rao, Raghuram Bhatt and Doda Ganesh -- in its various committees.
"We can't expect a better mandate than this, 24 out of 24 is great," said Patel. "Now we need to deliver in the next three years. Our first target is to see that our Ranji Trophy team does well and that junior cricket is played and revived," he added. The Chinnaswamy Stadium will also get a facelift.
"The KSCA members have taught (the outgoing team of) Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath group a lesson for their arrogance and egoism," Dr P Dayananda Pai, who was elected the treasurer, said.
Outgoing president Anil Kumble said: "I wish Wadiyar and Brijesh the very best."
Prominent personalities who attended the polls were Vijay Mallya, Rahul Dravid, actress B Saroja Devi and veteran actor Shivaram.