Board of Control for Cricket in India's marketing committee member Indrajit Singh Bindra on Friday slammed former president Jagmohan Dalmiya, saying the Indian cricket board had lost money under his tenure because of "vested interests".
"The BCCI lost money due to incompetence and vested interests," Bindra told reporters in Mumbai, during a briefing to announce the award of BCCI's media rights.
Nimbus, with the highest bid amount ($612 million), was awarded global media right for four years, from March 1, 2006 to March 31, 2010. The deal swelled BCCI's total income from sale of rights and sponsorship amounts to Rs 3354 crores, compared to Rs 359 crores it earned the previous four years.
Bindra alleged that the previous BCCI committee had undersold the rights, which resulted in it not receiving the deserved amount.
"In the last 10 years, I have it on record that the BCCI was underselling its rights grossly. I pointed it out long back, but I was suspended," he said.
"Last year we lost 300 crores. The rights should have been sold for 400 crores, but it was sold for 100 crores."
Asked whether the new marketing committee, led by Lalit Modi, was continuing the trend set by former president Jagmohan Dalmiya, of bringing more money into the game, Bindra shot back: "Dalmiya's contribution to the Board was nothing.
"No new initiative was taken by Dalmiya after 1996 to increase the revenue of the Board. He just carried forward the legacy of former presidents Madhavrao Scindia and N K P Salve.
"I have even told this to the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] under my signature."
Bindra said that "the new Board", under the leadership of Sharad Pawar, would give importance to domestic cricket and pump money into it.
The Board will make a conscious effort to help state associations maintain proper grounds and pitches, which will be of international standards, he added.
