Media365
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is set to return unopposed as president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) at its annual general meeting on Monday, but his second stint promises to be more challenging with the body facing financial irregularities and credibility concerns, according to PTI. The entire panel led by Ganguly — Bablu Kolay (secretary), Madan Mohan Ghosh (joint-secretary), Sanjay Das (treasurer) and Anu Dutta (vice-president) — is also expected to be elected unopposed. The 53-year-old former BCCI president will replace his elder brother Snehasish Ganguly, who stepped down following the six-year cap on executive positions mandated by the Lodha Committee. CAB’s image has been dented by controversies in recent months while the performance of the Ranji Trophy side has remained lukewarm. Finance committee member Subrata Saha was fined Rs 2 lakh and barred from sub-committee activities for a conflict of interest, while the association itself faced penalties. Earlier in August, joint-secretary Debabrata Das was suspended for six months over allegations of financial misconduct. “Most organisations have issues to deal with. In the future, if there are issues it will be dealt with in an appropriate manner,” Ganguly said after filing his nomination. In his second term as CAB president, Ganguly has outlined priorities including strengthening Bengal’s first-class cricket, boosting the Bengal Pro T20 League, promoting women’s cricket and developing grassroots structures. “The cricketing system has to move forward. I’ll be trying to talk to our Ranji Trophy cricketers, but there’s no need for too many heads in the team. Players’ skills matter, after all. As an administrator, I’ll help them with the best possible things, and I will do it,” he said. Among his first major responsibilities will be overseeing the India-South Africa opening Test at Eden Gardens from November 14, the first at the venue since the historic pink-ball clash against Bangladesh in 2019. Ganguly will also represent CAB at the BCCI annual general meeting on September 28 and balance his administrative duties with coaching Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 league from December 26 to January 25.
