Dalmiya to have the financial powers

Jagmohan Dalmiya will have absolute control over the finances of the BCCI and would also take the added responsibilities of the Board Secretary and Treasurer. Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke, who had resigned from these two posts on Friday, are not expected to reconsider their decision to quit, the sources said. 

At a Working Committee Meeting of the BCCI in Chennai on Sunday, Mr Dalmiya was picked to run the day-to-day affairs of the board in place of Mr Srinivasan, who would stay away from the office of the BCCI president while an investigation into allegations of spot-fixing in the just-concluded sixth edition of the Indian T20 League is completed. 

Mr Dalmiya said he had requested Mr Shirke and Mr Jagdale to return to their posts, adding that should they refuse, he would handle their portfolios too. 

The three-member committee which will conduct the investigation into spot fixing will be re-constituted this week. When Mr Jagdale resigned as Secretary on Friday, he also opted out of the inquiry committee and he will have to be replaced. The other two members are retired judges. Among the allegations that they will look into are those against Mr Srinivasan's son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, who is in jail for allegedly passing information to bookies and placing bets on the Indian T20 League matches. 

Some members of the board have slammed yesterday's meeting, but Mr Dalmiya, who is seen as Mr Srinivasan's mentor and has been BCCI chief in the past, said he did not agree that it was a "sham". "As far as I am concerned, this is not a victory for individuals but a victory for the game of cricket," Mr Dalmiya said as he landed in Kolkata back from Chennai. "I don't subscribe to the view that the meeting was a sham. I believe in achieving results and we will be able to accomplish our goals." 

Mr Dalmiya has also headed the International Cricket Council in the past. He left the ICC in 2000 following a TV rights row. In 2006, Mr Dalmiya was accused by the BCCI of misappropriating funds during the 1996 World Cup. The board dismissed him but he was exonerated by the Supreme Court in 2007, and believes his appointment yesterday is proof of his innocence. "The most important part of my appointment is the proving of my innocence," Mr Dalmiya said adding "I have come out successfully against any charges against me and without any scars."