Rajasthan Royals (ANI Image)
Jaipur: With the Rajasthan High Court suspending the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s ad hoc committee, a major hurdle in cricket administration in the state has been removed. The Supreme Court appointed Additional Chief Secretary in the state Home Department Bhaskar Sawant as the sole in-charge and directed him to complete the much-awaited democratic elections within three months.This ad hoc setup has been in place for over two-and-a-half years since former president Vaibhav Gehlot’s exit in February 2024. Despite seeing a revolving door of political meetings and several extensions, the caretaker committee has completely failed in its primary task of organizing elections.
The immediate ramifications of the judicial reset are positive for the sports landscape in the state. A stable and constitutionally elected leadership will finally be able to resume work on the federation’s unfinished Chonb Main Stadium project and address other long-pending issues.
For many years, the development of local cricket has been held hostage by exorbitant rental fees and disputes over access to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.More importantly, the HC order also boosts the prospects of the Indian Premier League (IPL) continuing in Jaipur. The relationship between RCA and the Rajasthan State Sports Council (RSSC) collapsed in early 2024, when the sports council closed the stadium and RCA headquarters due to expiration of the MoU and outstanding dues amounting to around Rs 8 crore.
With the RCA reduced to an ad hoc, non-elected committee, the Major League Cricket Council (BCCI) has made an exceptional one-time arrangement allowing the sports council to facilitate the hosting of IPL matches in Jaipur for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The Rajasthan Royals coordinated match operations directly with the sports department under this special dispensation, although the BCCI generally prefers to deal with a properly elected member association. However, the BCCI has repeatedly made it clear that such temporary fixes cannot continue. IPL president Arun Singh Dhumal said that IPL matches can be held in Jaipur only if the RCA holds proper elections and forms a democratically elected body, as well as ensuring that the venue meets IPL standards. The franchise also evaluated the readiness of the facility.By appointing a professional director with a clear mandate to hold elections within three months, the Supreme Council has directly addressed the key precondition for the BCCI.
This improves the likelihood that the Royals will continue to play their home matches in Jaipur without further administrative uncertainty.Pending questions: Questions are now being raised over the fate of actions taken by the outgoing ad hoc committee, including the recent internal investigation initiated against Bharatpur DCA secretary Shatrudhan Tiwari over complaints of harassment by women players.People familiar with the matter say the new administrator could still examine such cases if affected players approach RCA again.In addition, some players have expressed concern about whether their performance in the recently concluded Colvin Shield tournament, which serves as a key selection criterion for the men’s senior team, will be taken into account by the electing body in the future. They hope that their efforts will not be in vain.