Happy that CSK is back in IPL fold: Verma

Verma came down heavily on Rajiv Shukla for continuing as Chairman of Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council in violation of the Supreme Court order and Justice Lodha Committee reforms. After training his guns at Choudhary and Shukla, Verma lavished praise on the former BCCI president, N Srinivasan, calling him the finest administrator in the country after the late Jagmohan Dalmiya. Verma stated that the purpose of his visit to Chennai was to clear the air about his non-existent rift with Srinivasan.

“I want to make it categorically clear that I have never had any rift with Srinivasan or the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). It was unfortunate that he was the BCCI president when the IPL scandal erupted in 2013. Srinivasan did a lot for the retired cricketers by introducing the one-time monetary benefit scheme. It was during his tenure as president that new state-of-the-art stadiums in Rajkot and Nagpur were built. I have seen many BCCI presidents such as Sharad Pawar, IS Bindra et al; but Srinivasan is a cut above the rest in administration matters. If Srinivasan was in office, Anil Kumble wouldn’t have been removed as coach so unceremoniously,” opined Verma. 

Verma then made a reference to the Supreme Court’s order on January 4 this year allowing Bihar to take part in the Ranji Trophy and all the other BCCI tournaments. “The SC order was out on January 4 and the Vijay Hazare one-day tournament began on February 5. I was puzzled why Bihar wasn’t allowed to take part. It was all the handiwork of Amitabh Choudhary,” alleged Verma, who emphasised that his battle was not against individuals but for the revival of cricket in his state.