Sourav Ganguly might have to appear in front of BCCI Ombudsman

Sourav Ganguly is the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), but he also signed up as the advisor of the Delhi Capitals after acquiring all the due permissions, before the start of this season of the Indian Premier League. Three cricket fans in Kolkata had objected against this, citing a conflict of interest.

They pointed out that the former India cricketer may use his powers in order to pressurise the groundsmen in Kolkata, asking them to prepare a pitch in his team’s favour, in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on April 12. However, Ganguly had dismissed all such allegations against him in a letter to the BCCI Ombudsman DK Jain, also acting as the Ethics Officer.

A BCCI official, privy to the situation, has stated that there is no law which will bar Ganguly from sitting out of the DC dressing room.

"There is absolutely no bar on Sourav sitting in the DC dugout. In any case, the matter is still pending with the Ombudsman and no law can prevent him from being present in the dugout," the BCCI official said, today, reported PTI.

"But yes, if he wants to sit somewhere else, it will be his call. And Justice Jain has already made it clear that one particular match is not his concern. So that makes it clear," the official added.

The official also laid out examples of Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, who were banned from playing for a while, after they passed expletive comments derogating women, in a chat show. He has stated that going by the rules, it is required that the individual appears in person, even after written communications.

"It's following the principles of natural justice. Even Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul deposed in person after their written submissions,” explained the official.

The official, however, has remarked that he cannot certainly say that the former player will be called up. He has also implied that these allegations against Ganguly’s integrity are baseless.

"I am not saying Ombudsman will call Sourav but he has that option before the matter is brought to a closure," the official said.

"I can't predict Ombudsman's line of decision-making but one must take into account that these allegations could be due to a disgruntled few, who are against Sourav. All these issues need to be factored in," the official signed off.