Ad-hoc panel formation: Is CoA breaking BCCI rules?

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The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has once again showed extraordinary urgency in appointing the coaches and support staff members of the Indian team before covering all bases."

Yesterday, during a CoA meeting in New Delhi, the Vinod Rai-headed committee decided to form an ad-hoc panel of Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy to select the coaches and support staff members for Virat Kohli's team. July 30 is the deadline to apply. Head coach Ravi Shastri and his team of support staff members have been given an extension till the West Indies tour.

Raman's case under review

The same committee, which was called as the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), was given charge of selecting the Indian women's team head coach last December. The controversial manner in which WV Raman's appointment was carried out has now landed with the BCCI ethics officer Justice DK Jain for a review.

Under the BCCI's new constitution, the CoA, which is discharging the functions of the Apex Council as per their own directive, has no powers to form the CAC as it rests with the BCCI's general body. And as per the rules, only the CAC has the power to appoint any coaches and support staff members of the Indian cricket teams. "By naming it as an ad-hoc panel, but carrying out the functions of CAC is like selling old stuff in new packaging," a BCCI official told mid-day.

The official also cited a recent example of how the CoA, going by their new constitution, stripped BCCI Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary from convening the selection committee meeting for the West Indies tour last week. The new rules bar the secretary from convening meetings related to cricketing matters.

'CoA flouting rules'

"It is not under the CoA's purview to appoint an ad-hoc panel either, but they have still gone ahead with it. This clearly flouts BCCI rules. This is done when Raman's case is pending before the BCCI's ethics officer," said the official.

CoA chief Rai was quoted in the media as saying that the ad-hoc panel members appointment is subject to clearance from conflict of interest issues. As reported by mid-day on Thursday, Kapil, Gaekwad and Rangaswamy hold multiple posts in the BCCI.

While Kapil and Rangaswamy are directors in the Indian Cricketers' Association (ICA), Gaekwad is a member of the BCCI's affiliation committee.

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