BCCI to hold maiden annual conclave in Dharamsala

New Delhi: With the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman set to recommend their pick as the next head coach of the Indian team before June 22, all eyes are on the Board of Control for Cricket in India`s (BCCI) conclave in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

The BCCI on Wednesday pruned the list of 57 aspirants for the head coach`s job to 21. Former India skippers Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble and current selection committee chairman Sandeep Patil are some of the big names in the race for the top job, for which the BCCI has recently advertised.

The board is likely to put its seal of approval on the head coach at the conclave.

The conclave, from June 21-24, is the first ever the BCCI is holding and is expected to become an annual feature.

It will start with a workshop for media managers of all state cricket associations, which includes a session on digital media.

This will be followed by a conference of coaches and captains, Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council, junior committee and affiliation committee meeting before the all-important working committee meeting on the final day, when the next head coach`s name may be announced, the BCCI announced.

The conclave will also focus on steps to strengthen one of the biggest domestic cricket season of the world and ways to take the IPL, the fastest growing league in the world, to new heights while also deliberating on ways to make the BCCI more transparent and efficient.

"This is the first time BCCI is hosting a four-day long conclave that aims at getting all stakeholders at one place and align everyone`s thoughts for improvement of the sport," BCCI President Anurag Thakur said in a statement.

Board Secretary Ajay Shirke said, "Timing of this conclave couldn`t have been better. We are about to step into one of the most exciting cricket season and this is a perfect opportunity to bring everyone under one roof and discuss ideas and how to implement them."