CHENNAI: When it comes to the India team support staff, conflict of interest issue may pose a different challenge. After Shashank Manohar took charge as president of the Indian cricket board, team director Ravi Shastri was dropped from the IPL governing council to avoid any embarrassment. Even Roger Binny was dropped from the selection panel because his son Stuart was part of the national team. However, when it comes to the support staff there is still some ambiguity.
As per the board’s rule on conflict of interest put up on its website, none of the Indian coaching staff can be part of the BCCI sub-committees and neither can they be associated with any private coaching academies during their tenure. However, there is no mention of barring them from the IPL. But Lodha panel in its recommendations had said that none of the support staff can be part of IPL teams as it will lead to conflict of interest.
Even if Lodha panel’s recommendations are followed, none of the support staff would be subject to conflict of interest if they continue with their IPL roles. India’s bowling coach Bharathi Arun is associated with Royal Challengers Bangalore while Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar are the head coach and fielding coach, respectively of Kings XI Punjab. To make it more intriguing their contracts with the India team expire after the World T20. So when until and unless they are given fresh contracts by the BCCI they are free to work with any IPL team.
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur clarified that no decision has been taken on their new contracts.
“As of now no decision has been taken on their contracts. Whether or not they will continue we don’t know. The cricket advisory committee would deal with it. So at this point it is hard to say what will happen,” Thakur told Express.
When asked to elaborate whether the board will give them a fresh contract post the IPL to avoid conflict of interest Thakur added, “We need to look at the terms and conditions before deciding on anything.”
Though there is no clarity when it comes to conflict of interest for national coaches, the board has a strict policy when it comes to the ones associated with the National Cricket Academy.
Recently, when the board appointed TA Sekhar as the fast bowling coach of the NCA it had asked him to choose between the two jobs — the team director post he currently holds for Delhi Daredevils or NCA coach.
However, one of the board sources argued that just like how the national players are released from BCCI contracts for the IPL, the same should be done to support staff too. “NCA coaches can’t hold dual posts because it is a permanent role. But India team support staff are contracted coaches and when players can be part of IPL so can they,” he argued.