MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to scrap the rotational policy of appointing president.

The BCCI has called for a Special General Meeting in Chennai on 15 September to make amendments to the clause that will allow candidates from any of the five zones to stand for future presidential elections.

N Srinivasan, the outgoing president of the board, is from South Zone. As per the current rotational policy, it is East Zone?s turn to send a president when Srinivasan completes his term in 2014.

The changes, it is believed, is being brought to pave the way for BJP leader and Delhi District Cricket Association president Arun Jaitley ascension to the top of BCCI hierarchy. Without amendment to rotational policy clause, Jaitley would have to wait till 2014, when the North Zone?s turn comes to appoint a president.

"As per the existing rule, a president has to be from a particular zone whose turn it is by rotation to take over the presidentship. The change sought to be made at the SGM is that the future presidential candidate may belong to any of the five zones, but only needs to be proposed and seconded by the zone whose turn it is," newswire PTI quotes BCCI sources as saying.

The move will strengthen the control of policians in the world?s richest cricket board which has been grappling with charges of financial misconduct in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Earlier, Congress leader and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla was appointed as IPL chairman.

MUMBAI: Worried about the implications of the financial mess at Deccan Chronicle Holdings and its bearings on the IPL franchise Deccan Chargers, the IPL Governing Council (GC) has given the franchise owners 14 days to sort out the matter.

The IPL GC had called for a meeting in New Delhi to discuss the issue after learning that the owners who run Deccan Chronicle newspaper have mortgaged the franchise to some banks in order to tide over the liquidity crunch that has hit the company.

According to IPL rules, team owners are prohibited from mortgaging their teams as it has the potential to put it in a jeopardy which will also have an impact on the IPL.

"The governing council today heard both sides--the franchise owners as well as representatives of the banks. We have given Deccan Chargers, 14 days time to sort out the mess and get back to us," an IPL GC member said after the meeting.

"If the issues are not sorted out within the next fortnight, we will decide on further course of action," he added.

The owners of Deccan Chargers are planning to sell the IPL team to raise cash to fund their debt. Religare Capital Markets has been mandated to find a new buyer for the team.

The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the DCHL promoters have pledged their entire holding to ICICI Bank, Future Capital Holdings (Kishore Biyani has since taken the liability), and Religare FinVest.

MUMBAI: Hockey India, the governing body of the sport in India, has roped in politicians and cricket administrators Rajeev Shukla and Arun Jaitley on board as members of Hockey India League, the club based league that will kick-off in January next year.

Apart from Shukla and Jaitley, Television personality and India TV Editor in Chief Rajat Sharma has also joined the board.

While Jaitley is vice-president of BCCI from North Zone, Shukla is the chairman of cash-rich Indian Premier League.

Hockey India secretary-general and HIL chairman Narinder Batra said the appointments would help HIL. "We are sure that the Hockey India League will gain from Mr. Shukla`s knowledge as chairman of the Indian Premier League Governing Council and in public life, Mr. Jaitley`s vast experience as lawyer and sports administrator and Mr. Rajat Sharma`s experience as a media personality," Batra said.

HI has already got Sahara India Pariwar on board as the Lucknow franchise owner.

The HIL, which will rival World Series Hockey, will have six city-based teams selected from a pool of 12 cities that have infrastructure and facilities to host a match.

MUMBAI: Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has returned to the BCCI fold by cutting off all links with Subhash Chandra?s Essel Sports, the company behind the now defunct Indian Cricket League.

As per the BCCI amnesty scheme, Kapil is now entitled to get Rs 10 million as part of BCCI?s one-time benefit scheme and pensions. The BCCI will also clear his arrears.

"The BCCI has received a letter from Mr. Kapil Dev, former India captain. Kapil Dev has informed the Board that he has resigned from the Essel Sports Private Limited / ICL. He has also stated in the letter that he has always supported the BCCI, and will continue to do so in the future. The BCCI acknowledges Mr. Kapil Dev?s immense contribution to Indian cricket., and looks forward to a fruitful association with him in the years to come," BCCI president N Srinivasan said.

In 2009, the BCCI had announced an amnesty scheme for all players and officials who were part of the ICL, which saw a mass exodus from the ICL fold to the BCCI.

Similarly, other cricket boards also granted amnesty to their players for breaking ties with the rebel cricket league which eventually led to its death. Recently, the BCCI had granted amnesty to Kiran More, who was associated with ICL.