Focus back on Lalit Modi

Move aside John Howard. The focus is back on Lalit Modi.

The breaking news over the suspended chairman of the Indian Premier League will start flashing all over again.

A special general meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India meets here on Saturday. Its only agenda is Modi, the showcause notices and his replies.

Though some Board officials privately admit that the general body can recommend any action, an axe is unlikely to fall on Modi at the SGM.

The meeting is likely to ratify the secretary’s decision to refer his replies to the disciplinary committee. The other decision is the reconstitution of the committee following Shashank Manohar’s recusal.

As per the recent practice, a vice-president is made the committee member and one of the two vice-presidents — Shivlal Yadav and Arindam Ganguly — who are not already members of the committee, could be taken in. The other two members of the committee are Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin, both vice-presidents.

Incidentally, Modi himself was a vice-president before he was suspended on April 26.

Prior to the SGM, the BCCI marketing committee will meet to take a decision on production rights, and floating tenders for the title sponsorship. The committee also extend deal with Nike, which is the apparel sponsors of the Indian team.

Meanwhile, CWG organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi has sought sports minister MS Gill’s help to convince the BCCI to reschedule the two-Test series against Australia in October as it will clash with the quadrennial event.