Storm in a T(20) Cup

All about cricket
After a storm of protest erupted at an Open House meeting held prior to the EOGM, where members booed various executive committee speakers, demanded greater transparency, shouting for the committee to resign, saying that they would refuse to accede to IPL terms and stay out of their own clubhouse, the EOGM was cancelled.

Yet, says one club member, "Look at the broader picture, it was not just about IPL matches. The executive committee wanted us to vote in favour of amending a by-law 145 which would give them the power to restrain us from using the clubhouse or other facilities at other times too. This is why we wanted to curb the amendment to the by-law 145." Badal Mittal, president CCI disagrees, saying, "My intention was to bring big cricket to the Brabourne, only that. This is a cricket club, it is all about cricket."

Brabourne is out
The immediate aftermath has resulted in Lalit Modi, chairperson IPL wiping the Brabourne Stadium off the IPL map, "We will not hold the final at the Brabourne Stadium that venue is out. We put forward our conditions to the club but they have disagreed. So hosting the final there is out of the question. This is a marquee event, the No 1 event to host," Modi says. When asked why the IPL did not agree to having the final there, agreeing to the members' conditions, Modi says, "We too had certain commitments to our sponsors, team owners, we had asked for the seats for one day, ONE day." Modi says, they are definitely looking at D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai as an alternate venue for the final, "We had the final there last year too, so that option is open," said Modi. Honorary Secretary of the D Y Patil Sports Academy, Avinash Patil says,u00a0 "We have not had any negotiations with the IPL as yet, but we are fully ready and prepared to host the matches. In fact, we would be very happy to host them." Last year too, the CCI missed out on the opportunity to host the cash-rich T-20 event, as the club refused to give up its clubhouse seats.

Blah bah black sheep
CCI club members insist that they do not want to be labelled as black sheep or be held responsible for stopping big time cricket in S Mumbai. "Today, every CCI member thinks that there should be cricket in S Mumbai. But we need to have our terms and conditions too," they say. Asks one member, "Why should we give up our clubhouse and go and sit in the North Stand instead? We would like to know if the CCI Executive Committee members who wanted to agree to the IPL terms and give away our clubhouse for the match days would be willing to forgo the clubhouse and go and sit in the stands to watch the matches."

No big cricket
Mittal says, "Yes, my team in the Executive Committee and I would be willing to go and sit in the stands and give up the clubhouse seats for the matches. We would go and sit there along with our wives if we had to." When asked if there would be any other IPL matches if not the final at Brabourne, whether Mumbai Indians, the Reliance team would play their matches there, Mittal said, "We have not been approached. We had one letter by the IPL and that was for the final at CCI.u00a0 With no final, it looks like there is no big cricket at the CCI as of now."

Secretary Speak
CCI cricket secretary Milind Rege thinks though that there is still scope for negotiation and a common meeting point for all, the executive committee, the members and the BCCI. He says, "I am heartbroken that Brabourne is out of the picture. I do not think this is the end though. I am going to push for negotiations and let us hope everybody can come to a halfway house u2013 the members want cricket but they do not want their rights compromised. The executive committee has realised this and they should be given some credit too. We all should sit across the table and talk with the IPL, after all we have worked so hard to prepare the club ground and wicket it would be great to see cricket back at the Brabourne."u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

IPL is flashpoint
What the interested observer following club politics may discern though is that the IPL issue is a flashpoint, dissension has been brewing in this club that goes much beyond the narrow confines of the IPL issue. When Mittal was asked if he knew that there were moves to oust him from the presidency of the club he said, "Well, this is a democracy. There will have to be a proper procedure followed for that." Mittal also denied members' accusations of him abusing some of them. "Not at all, tell me a single incident," he shot back.

Blissful ignorance
Meanwhile, the club's former president, Raj Singh Dungarpur, is at the Bombay Hospital and in his present ill state, may be quite unaware of all the accusations and counter-claims swirling around at the gentleman's club he headed for 15 years. In his case, maybe, ignorance is truly bliss. Yet, for every cricket aficionado bliss would be this: Brabourne resounding to the sweet sound of willow meeting cherry again.

Key points
>>No cash-rich T20 matches at the CCI
>>Lalit Modi says IPL final will not be held at Brabourne
>>Executive Committee says move was for cricket; only cricketu00a0
>>Members accuse committee of no transparency; being undemocratic
>>Match likely to go to D Y Patil, Navi Mumbai though no confirmation yet
>>Everybody seems to want cricket at the beautiful Brabourne Stadium though on their own terms
>>Unclear on how many matches were offered to the CCI; what facilities would be out of bounds for members and for how many daysu00a0
>>IPL fracas only the tip of the iceberg of problems within CCI

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