IPL 7: Top five challenges for BCCI's interim president Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar has been entrusted with the opportunity of managing a league that's taken a beating as far as it's image is concerned. He now has the responsibility of not only running the billion-dollar league smoothly but also restoring the credibility of the Indian Premier League amongst it's millions of fans. So here are 5 issues that will need urgent attention of the new BCCI-IPL interim chief:

ANNOUNCE THE FULL SCHEDULE

On Gavaskar's priority list will be to announce the full schedule of IPL 7. Till now, the 20 matches that will be played in the United Arab Emirates are known, but the fixtures, once the tournament returns to India on May 1, are still not known. (IPL schedule announced)

SANITISE SHARJAH

The decision to move IPL to Sharjah, a venue BCCI had themselves black-listed after the match-fixing scandal in 2000, has already raised a few eye-brows. Now to keep unscruplous elements away from the IPL will be another important task for the interim president to execute.

RESTRICT TEAM OWNER'S ACCESS

Gurunath Meiyappan has been the man at the centre of the spot-fixing scam. And to ensure that no cricket enthusiasts poses as team owners, Gavaskar will have lay down the rules about who is an owner and who's not, who can sit in the dug-out and who can't. Access to players have to be controlled. (IPL probe report finds Gurunath Meiyappan guilty)

DECIDE ON SUNDAR RAMAN

IPL Chief Operating Officer Sundar Raman is under the scanner on various issues -- from allegedly passing insider information which aided and abetted betting in the last season to safeguarding the interests of Chennai Super Kings during the spot-fixing investigations. What must be done with Mr Raman? Based on the Supreme Court's directives, this is a tricky one for Gavaskar. Will he bell the cat? Sundar Raman is known to be a close ally of ousted BCCI president N. Srinivasan.

KEEP SRINIVASAN AT BAY

Number 1 on Gavaskar's priority list should be to make the functioning of the IPL more transparent and free from the control of Srinivasan. It's an open secret that the Chennai strongman enjoys great support within the BCCI and the IPL management. To ensure the president in exile doesn't remote control what's happening in the billion-dollar league, the Indian batting legend will have to rule with an iron fist. (Srinivasan cannot attend BCCI meetings: Abdi)