BCCI - Lodha Stand off: Organizing tournament not possible without funds, claims Anurag Thakur

The tussle between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Supreme Court (SC)-appointed Lodha Committee has escalated to a new level. 

BCCI president Anurag Thakur said the BCCI cannot organise any tournament if their fund supply was cut off. "Really unfortunate that all BCCI accounts have been frozen, there can't be any tournament without money," the BCCI chief was quoted as saying by ANI.

However Justice RM Lodha claimed that he had been misunderstood, and that his directive to the banks was simply to prevent the board's disbursement of funds to state associations, and not impede the ongoing India-New Zealand series in any way whatsoever.
 

The money belongs to the state associations and if they are not being paid how can they run cricket & host matches:Anurag Thakur, BCCI Chief pic.twitter.com/rAc8bWozRy

— ANI (@ANI_news) October 4, 2016

Earlier Justice R M Lodha led panel clarified that they didn’t direct the banks to freeze the accounts of the Board and it carry on with its routine expenses.

The BCCI, however, argued that state associations were depended on the parent body for organising matches and they were unable to carry on their functioning in the wake of the latest directive from the Lodha panel, affecting their preparations for the upcoming games in the ongoing series against New Zealand.

 

BCCI is in a fix as India may have to pull out of next year’s Champions Trophy in Englands per if it implements Justice RM Lodha Committee recommendations. The reforms suggested by the Lodha Panel, there has to be a 15-day window before and after the IPL. The Champions Trophy is scheduled from June 1-18 while IPL is likely to end in last week of May.