Sourav Ganguly in working group to draw up roadmap for IPL-9

New Delhi: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was today named in the four-member working group formed to draw up the roadmap for IPL 9 even as the BCCI sought to dispel the notion that it was dilly-dallying in implementing the Justice R M Lodha Committee's verdict, saying it has already accepted the order in totality.

The committee will be chaired by IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla and will have BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur and Treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary as the other members.
BCCI's legal adviser U N Banerjee will assist the panel.

Announcing the names of the panel members, Shukla said the panel will study the implications of the Justice Lodha Committee report and draw up a roadmap for IPL 9, which will have a minimum of eight teams.

"The committee will have six weeks' time to study the Lodha committee report and will give its recommendations after talking to all the stakeholders," Shukla told PTI.

"The committee will also consult the legal experts before coming up with recommendations since we do not want any legal complications later on," Shukla said.

The decision to form a working group was taken at the crucial IPL Governing Council meeting in Mumbai yesterday where members discussed the Lodha Committee's order, suspending Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years in the IPL.

Shukla said that Ganguly, who is also a member of the IPL Governing Council, has been included in the group as a representative of players.

The IPL Chairman clarified that the BCCI will implement the Lodha Committee verdict in toto and the panel's job is only to find the way forward so that preparations for IPL 9 can begin.

"We still have some time for IPL 9, so we should not take any hasty decision. We will follow the procedure and come to a consensus on all the matters relating to IPL," Shukla said.

He said that forming a working group was aimed at finding the procedures to implement the order and should not be seen as a delaying tactic.

"I want to make it very clear that the BCCI has already accepted the Justice Lodha committee verdict in toto. The working group has been formed to draw up the future roadmap of IPL 9. There is no question of any dilly-dallying," he said.

"The order is accepted, now we are in the process of implementing it. For that we have formed a working group and that group has been given six weeks' time to submit its recommendations," he said.