Gavaskar made head of Indian cricket board

Supreme Court appoints batting legend as interim working president of BCCI in place of scandal-tainted N Srinivasan.

The betting scandal had triggered street protests against Srinivasan across India [EPA]

India’s top court has installed batting legend Sunil Gavaskar as the interim head of the country’s troubled cricket board in place of the scandal-tainted incumbent N Srinivasan.

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered that Gavaskar would be the interim working president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Gavaskar would also be in charge of the upcoming edition of the annual Indian Premier League (IPL).

Pressure had been mounting on Srinivasan to step down since last year’s limited-overs IPL tournament, after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested for his alleged role in betting and spot-fixing matches.

Several crickets including Indian pacer S Sreesanth were also arrested.

Meiyappan was an official of the Chennai Super Kings, a team owned by Srinivasan. 

The court, however, said the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals, another franchise embroiled in the controversy, would be allowed to participate in this year’s IPL.

Srinivasan had faced accusations of conflict of interests, as he presided over the board and also owned the Chennai Super Kings. Srinivsasan has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.

Friday’s ruling came after a court-appointed committee submitted its report on the IPL scandal. 

Gavaskar, who retired from cricket in the 1980s, is recognised as an all-time batting great.

Source: Al Jazeera