Sourav Ganguly vs Harbhajan Singh for president at BCCI AGM?

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh could be in the fray to become an office bearer in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). But he won’t be the only big name. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who served as the BCCI president between 2019-22 before being unceremoniously ousted, will also be at the BCCI AGM on September 28 in Mumbai. Harbhajan will represent the Punjab Cricket Association and will aim to enter cricket administration for the first time. The BCCI AGM will decide on new office bearers, including the post of IPL chairman.

With President Roger Binny retiring after hitting the age cap of 70, the BCCI needs to have a new president. Furthermore, Arun Dhumal, the IPL chairman, will also have to vacate his seat after hitting the term limit of six years. Dhumal will have to serve a cooling-off period.

Will Sourav Ganguly return for 2nd innings?

Sourav Ganguly will represent the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) at the BCCI AGM. While it is unclear whether Ganguly will return for a second term in the BCCI, his name surely would be discussed. Ganguly had to make way for 1983 World Cup-winner Binny in the 2022 BCCI elections after a section of the board members opposed.

However, with Jay Shah moving to the ICC and Devjit Saikia set to continue as the secretary, Ganguly could eye a return. Having already been out of the BCCI for three years, the absence could be considered as his cooling-off period. Hence, Ganguly could serve for six years before going for a break.

But Ganguly will have to win over other board members, especially the West and South zones. He was hit with allegations of mismanagement of the Virat Kohli captaincy transition row and promoting a rival brand to BCCI’s title sponsor Dream11. However, with a blanket ban on real-money gaming and Virat Kohli retiring from Test and T20Is, both issues stand resolved.

Apprentice to challenge master?

Even though it is a democratic process and it is called BCCI elections, there has been no election or a fight between two candidates for over a decade. Instead, it is a selection process by all members before completing the election formalities.

In 2001, Ganguly backed Harbhajan Singh to make the India Test team and the rest is history. The same apprentice could now challenge Ganguly for a position if the former India captain throws his hat in the ring. As per an Indian Express report, Harbhajan Singh is in the fray to become a BCCI office bearer. The window of filing nomination is September 20-21. They can withdraw their names by Sep 23.

There will be a discussion at the AGM for the positions of BCCI. Once all have unanimously agreed on the candidates, the elections will formally take place. But during the discussions, it could be Ganguly vs Harbhajan. But there are also possibilities that Harbhajan would look at a vice-president post. In that case, if Ganguly decides to return to cricket administration, he could take up the president’s post again. But all will depend on whether everyone agrees to the arrangement.