Sourav Ganguly’s cellphone has been busy for some time and the buzz in cricketing circles is that Dada is busy calling franchisees, asking them to take him on board.
Sourav Ganguly’s cellphone has been busy for some time and the buzz in cricketing circles is that Dada is busy calling franchisees, asking them to take him on board.
Most franchises, barring Kolkata Knight Riders, of course, have received calls from him. However, no team owner has given him an encouraging reply as yet.
Rules though don’t permit the recruitment of a capped player outside the auction. A capped player can be acquired outside the auction if and ‘only if’ another player is ruled out for an entire season.
A section of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would not have an objection if a franchise expresses its willingness to take Ganguly, but the BCCI has categorically denied receiving any such request as yet.
“There is no request as of today. If there’s one, the governing council will decide on this,” BCCI president Shashank Manohar told DNA.
The thinking is that some concession can be made for a player of Ganguly’s calibre if there are no objections from other team owners.
Meanwhile, Kochi officials, reportedly linked to Ganguly, have denied an expression of interest but stopped short of rubbishing the idea. “We’ve not made any request to the BCCI. We will see how we can address the issue. It will be a consortium decision,” a Team Kochi official said.
They are open to having him as a mentor but Ganguly seems to be insisting on playing for at least one more year. “He wants to play. We’re not sure if that can happen,” another official said.
It has been learnt that Kochi officials have received a request from another unsold India player. VRV Singh and Wasim Jaffer, besides Ganguly, were the three Indian players to have remained unsold.
Sources say the board would not object if certain franchises offer to take them on board. But all this will need the approval of the governing council of the Indian Premier League.
One Kochi official, meanwhile, confirmed to this paper about the appointment of Hrishikesh Kanitkar as the team’s assistant coach.
The former India cricketer will assist Geoff Lawson, who was the coach of Kanitkar’s Maharashtra Premier League side. Initially, former India players like Abey Kuruvilla and Tinu Yohannan were tipped for this role.
It has also been learnt that VVS Laxman will double up as a batting coach for the team. The Hyderabad batsman was purchased for his base price of $400,000. The team is awaiting a final decision from the governing council if it can host its matches in Ahmedabad.
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