CoA member Diana Edulji refuses to accept BCCI Lifetime achievement award

04/29/2018

The former Indian women’s team captain, Diana Edulji has refused to accept the Lifetime achievement award by the BCCI and thought that it was inappropriate for her to accept this honor as she continued to be a part of the CoA. She has also clarified that she wasn’t the part of the award committee.

Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji has turned down BCCI’s offer to honor her with the lifetime achievement award for women. The former Indian captain pointed out that being a member of the CoA, it would not be appropriate for her to accept this award.

Edulji played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs for the Indian Women cricket team and her refusal came after BCCI had already made the list of recipients public. Following her refusal, Sudha Shah, her once teammate, is chosen to be the new recipient of the award for the 2017-18 season.

Edulji was part of the panel last year which picked Shantha Rangaswamy as the first woman cricketer to get a special lifetime award. However, she clarified that she or any other member of CoA was not a part of this awards committee. She also mentioned that she has thought her decision through and thanked BCCI for considering her worthy of the award.

"I have learnt that the BCCI awards committee (consisting of office bearers of the BCCI and Mr. N Ram) has conferred the award on me. Neither me, nor any other member of the Hon'ble Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) were part of this awards committee.

"However, since I am a member of the Hon'ble Supreme Court appointed committee of administrators of the BCCI, I do not think it is appropriate for me to accept this honour at this juncture. I have discussed my decision with my family, friends and well wishers who wholeheartedly support my decision not to accept the award during my tenure as a member of the CoA. In fact, I had made my decision very clear last year as well when my name was suggested for this honour.

"Nevertheless, I would like to thank the members of the BCCI awards committee for considering me worthy of this prestigious honour," she added.

Edulji and Shah were part of the playing XI that played the first-ever Test match for India women in 1976.

List of recommendations:

• Pankaj Roy (2016-17) - Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award

• Anshuman Gaekwad (2017-18) - Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award

• (Withdrawn) Diana Edulji (2016-17) - BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award (women)

• Sudha Shah (2017-18) - BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award (women)

• Abbas Ali Baig (2016-17) - BCCI special award

• Naren Tamhane (2016-17) - BCCI special award

• Budhi Kunderan (2017-18) - BCCI special award