In an important step towards implementation of the Lodha reforms, a cricketers’ association has been approved by the Committee of Administrators (CoA).

This will be the first time in Indian cricket that a players’ body will be formed.

In line with the Lodha Committee recommendations, two members (one male and one female) of the proposed players’ association will have to be included in the Apex Council, which will be the all-powerful decision-making body for cricket in India.

There will also be one player representative in the Indian Premier League Governing Council.

The process of registration and putting it up in front of the Supreme Court will be carried out simultaneously and the association should be in place in a month’s time.

A players’ body has been a contentious issue with the BCCI in the past. It promises to give the cricketers a powerful voice to raise demands, especially when it comes to scheduling and contracts.

Scheduling is a factious topic, as India plays more cricket than any other country, and most of the sponsorship for the game around the world comes from Indian companies.

It comes at the cost of the players.

In Australia, there is a cap decided by the country’s players’ association on the maximum number of matches for a player in a season.

The players’ association in Australia and England have a professional staff, headed by a CEO and a legal team, which negotiate on behalf of the players.

Recently, there was a Ravi Shastri-Virat Kohli standoff with the cricket board over player salaries as well. They were allowed to get involved in negotiations because there was no elected BCCI officials in place and the CoA members were accommodating.

According to the conditions approved, all first-class cricketers can register with the body. The qualification for a first-class cricketer will be 15 games for men and 5 for women. Three one-day games or five Twenty20 games will be considered as one first-class game.

“In one month the entire process of registration should be over and by September, the BCCI elections should be held,” said a BCCI insider.

The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), the global body that represents the interests of professional cricketers, has long supported the idea of a players’ association in India.

Wadia case: Kings XI asked for explanation

The Ness Wadia case was also discussed by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in Friday’s meeting and they have sought a written explanation from Kings XI Punjab on the suspended sentence handed to their co-owner for possession of cannabis in Japan.

“The CoA will not go by the media reports. They will ask for an explanation from the Kings XI franchise and understand their part of the story. Depending on the reply, they will check the rules and decide,” a BCCI insider said.

First Published: May 04, 2019 09:13 IST