MV Sridhar steps down as BCCI cricket operations head

New Delhi: Under the scanner on issues of propriety, the BCCI's General Manager (Cricket Operations) M V Sridhar today tendered his resignation, a decision that was accepted by the Committee of Administrators (COA).

It was learnt that Sridhar submitted his resignation during today's COA meeting at the Cricket Centre Headquarters.

For the time being, CEO Rahul Johri will be the head of Cricket Operations supported by a three-member team comprising Mayank Parik (International Cricket, Logistics), KVP Rao (Domestic Cricket) and Gaurav Saxena (for ICC/ACC matters, co-ordination with other international boards and point person for the Indian men's cricket team).

The PTI is in possession of Johri's e-mail sent to the office-bearers wherein he intimated them of the latest development.

"Please note that Dr MV Sridhar has decided to move on and tendered his resignation," Johri wrote in his mail to the office-bearers.

"His resignation has been accepted today by the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators (COA). Dr Sridhar has agreed to stay on till September 30, 2017 for smooth handover of work. We thank him for his services to BCCI."

Sridhar was under the scanner for quite some time now with allegations of financial impropriety in his home state association -- Hyderabad CA -- when he was heading the state body.

"Sridhar was time and again told to relocate to Mumbai and operate from there. However, he was shuttling between Hyderabad and Mumbai, which was not the best way to function for the head of Cricket Operations," a senior BCCI official, privy to the development, told PTI today.

The incident that proved to be the last straw for the COA was appointment of a trainer called Sohum Desai at the NCA. Before that, he had irked a few top people in the board by scrapping the Duleep Trophy. Duleep Trophy was later restored by the COA.

Desai was working at current Team India strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu's Chennai-based gym 'Primal Patterns' and there are allegations of Conflict of Interest against Basu as well.

Sridhar had told PTI that Desai was appointed after he came second in the trainer's test.

"The boy stood second in the test and there is no Conflict of Interest in this case," Sridhar had then told PTI.

It was on September 15, that during a NCA meeting in the capital, acting president CK Khanna and treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhry had asked Sridhar about Desai's appointment.

"Who set the question papers?" Chaudhry had asked during the meeting in which Sridhar had named Basu.

It was learnt that CEO Johri then independently verified Desai's credibility and found out that he didn't even appear for the test for recruitment of NCA trainers.

"The COA were left embarrassed after the whole saga and it was a matter of time before Sridhar had to put in his papers."