MCA finalises Rajput, Kulkarni and Dighe for CIC

MUMBAI: After dilly-dallying on the crucial issue for a long time, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), in a meeting of its Apex Council on Friday, finally decided on the all-important ad-hoc Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) which will appoint Mumbai’s coaches and selectors for the forthcoming season.
According to sources, the committee is headed by former India opener Lalchand Rajput, with ex-India players Raju Kulkarni and Sameer Dighe being its other members.Kulkarni was the CIC chairman in 2018, and was a part of its last year too, while Dighe was the Mumbai coach in the 2017-18 season. “The Apex Council has approved their names. We’ve taken verbal consent from them, and will communicate to them formally now,” said a source in the MCA.
The MCA had last month come under fire from former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar for missing out on the likes of Wasim Jaffer and Chandrakant Pandit to coach Mumbai’s senior team. Jaffer, who retired a few months back, will coach Uttarakhand, while Pandit moved to Madhya Pradesh after a successful three-year stint with Vidarbha.
MCA secretaries Sanjay Naik and Shahalam Shaikh had last month sent letters to all the 380 MCA voters asking them to authorise the Apex Council to appoint an ad-hoc CIC, and send their consent by July 10. As per the constitution of the association, the appointment of a CIC needs to be confirmed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which can’t be held due to current restrictions on gatherings in Mumbai. “Most of the members accepted our request,” said a source.
The BCCI is yet to announce its domestic calendar for the 2020-21 season.
Naik to continue as executive secretary
In another important development, the MCA is set to continue with the services of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) CS Naik, whose contract is supposed to end in October this year. Naik, who has been with the association for more than 30 years, will stay on as the executive secretary in the cricket body.