Board of Control for Cricket in Indian President N. Srinivasan, who has been asked to step down by the Supreme Court, "will be attending" the Int'l Cricket Council’s exec board meeting on April 9-10 in Dubai, according to K.R. Nayar of the GULF NEWS. Though a "huge campaign" is on against Srinivasan attending the meeting, BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel said that the Supreme Court "has not objected to Srinivasan attending the meeting." Patel: “We want him to attend ICC meetings because it is due to his hard work in the past few months that the BCCI has been strengthened in world cricket.” The BCCI’s argument is that the court has said that "no person employed with India Cements can be part of the BCCI administration," but does not say that Srinivasan "must also resign as India’s nominee to the ICC." Following the court order, Team India logistics manager M.A. Satheesh, who is an employee of India Cements, "had to be withdrawn and has left the World Twenty20" (GULF NEWS, 4/1). The PTI reported Rajasthan Cricket Association's representative in the BCCI, Mehmood Abdi, said that Srinivasan "is not eligible to represent the body in the ICC." Abdi has also filed an FIR against Srinivasan alleging fixing in a IPL match featuring Chennai Super Kings, "owned by the BCCI chief's company India Cements." The top court "has asked for the removal of all India Cements employees from the BCCI." Abdi: "Removal of smaller functionaries of India Cements from various BCCI assignments would not be the desired compliance of the Supreme Court Order until N. Srinivasan is removed from all BCCI assignments and responsibilities including representation in ICC" (PTI, 4/1). In Mumbai, Vijay Tagore reported former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has "been calling up the owners" of the Indian Premier League teams "seeking their views" on the status of "controversial" IPL COO Sundar Raman, whose fate "has been left in his hands." Gavaskar "tried to reach a few high profile owners," the Ambanis, Vijay Mallya and also Shah Rukh Khan. It is "not known if the new interim head of the IPL has managed to get through to any of the owners but one has confirmation with regard to his effort to get across to the franchise owners" (MUMBAI MIRROR, 4/1).
