Chirayu Amin's the right man for IPL top job

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Chirayu Amin's the right man for IPL top job

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The question, 'why him?' could easily come to mind after Board of Control for Cricket in India president Shashank Manohar announced yesterday that Chirayu Amin will be the Indian Premier League's interim chairman.

But talk to people who have been closely associated with Amin in Baroda cricketing circles, and you might come close to finding an answer.

"Chirayu is someone who likes to keep a low profile. He will only say things when it's absolutely necessary and he will always be to the point. He loves details and is a no frills person," says Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who coached the Baroda state team for two years and worked closely with Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) president Amin.

The 62-year-old heads Alembic, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the country with a turnover of Rs 1,200 crore and has contributed to its growth since 1975. Glycodin is one of Alembic's products.

"He has excellent management skills. He has been running a big company like Alembic so successfully for so many years. Given his experience and skills, he should be able to do a good job with the IPL," says former India stumper Kiran More, who was also the BCA secretary and worked closely with Amin.

As a cricket administrator too, Amin received a lot of accolades. There was a time when the Baroda first-class team was filled with professional cricketers but it changed slowly once Amin joined the BCA and several players from Baroda have gone on to wear the national colours since then.

"He has a lot of passion for cricket and you realise he wants to make a difference. Under him, there has been a sea change in the way cricket is played in Baroda," says Sandhu.

Amin is also not known to interfere in cricketing matters especially team selection. But at the same time, he is always aware of what's going on around him given a great network that he has developed over the years while working in the BCA.

He's also never had any friction with anyone despite working with opposite factions within the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) and many put it down to his administrative skills and the fact that heading a big company has made him rise above petty internal politics.

Probably, one blot in his administrative skills has been his inability to procure a ground for the association. International matches are still held at the BPCL ground since the BCA does not have one of its own. But it is believed that Amin was very close to clinching a land deal only to reject it as there were some irregularities with the paper work.

The word 'irregularities' has been used ad nauseum in the past few weeks and if Amin can regularise a few things, he will certainly justify his elevation to the hottest seat in Indian cricket right now.

With both the IPL and the BCCI under the scanner and their credibility at stake, the Board seems to have picked a man who has never courted controversy, is respected and understands the politics of cricket since he is also a vice-president of the BCCI.

In a lot of ways, Amin appears to be the complete opposite of Modi. While the suspended IPL chief loves the spotlight, revels in attention and embraces a larger than life image, Amin prefers to be in the background, is happy if he's not asked to share his views in public and very comfortable when he's left alone. Many rate him as a traditionally aggressive businessman, someone who always treads every path very carefully.

But in a way, this could also mean the BCCI is going backwards. After all, Modi's dynamism was a key factor in the success of the IPL and his unabashed ambition put Indian cricket on a different plane.

"In cricketing parlance, you can compare them to Greg Chappell (former India coach) and Gary Kirsten (Chappell's successor). Chappell was always in the news while Kirsten is hardly in the forefront. But does that mean Kirsten is not doing a good job? Approaches may be different but Chirayu is good at his job. With the right support, he'll do this job well," says Baroda-based former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad, who has known Amin since 1975.

Sandhu agrees. "He's a businessman and so will understand the business of cricket, especially IPL where a lot of people have put in money, expecting returns. He knows how to deal with finance and plays the game by the rules. In that sense, he'll be able to run things while being on the right side of the law," says the 1983 World Cupper.

When business, cricket and politics are as entwined as they are in this case, it's a tricky wicket to bat on. What the IPL needs now is some order and Amin seems to have the credentials to ensure that. But being the IPL boss will seriously challenge his love for a low-profile image. How he balances the two might just be the key.

With inputs from Dhananjay Khadilkar