Avishek Dalmiya Becomes The Youngest CAB President

Former BCCI President late Jagmohan Dalmiya’s son Avishek became the youngest president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), on Wednesday. He was elected unopposed while Snehashish Ganguly became the new joint secretary.

Earlier, Dalmiya junior was designated as the joint secretary. Snehashish, former Bengal cricketer and elder brother of Sourav Ganguly, took over the reins. Avishek became the 18th president of the CAB, his father held the office for two terms. It is to be mentioned that Avishek will go for a cooling-off period from November 6, 2021 as per the Lodha Committee.

A change of guard in CAB

Senior Dalmiya had held the office from 1992-93 to 2006 and then 2008-09 till his demise in 2015. Avishek went down the memory lane and at the same time vowed to play a crucial inning.

“Right from my childhood, I always heard my father saying ‘Eden is a temple of worship’. That sentiment will run with me always,” he said in his first address as CAB president.

“He was very passionate about Eden Gardens. It was really emotional that I could sit in this room. I will only be a fool if I compare myself with any of the former CAB presidents. Their statures were different.”

Snehashish, the former left-hand batsman’s domestic career spanned for 10 years. He got a bit emotional as he switched from the position of assistant secretary.

“It was a dream to play for state and I played for 10-11 years. Yesterday, I was really emotional remembering my playing days. Now as an administrator, we have got a very young team and we are confident to take Bengal cricket forward,” Snehasish, who has been an assistant secretary more than a decade back, said.

Renewal of the lease of Eden Gardens will be one of the top priorities for the new team. It will be due in a couple of years. The World T20 and the ODI World Cup will be hosted by India in the year 2021 and 2023 respectively. The CAB is likely to launch a code of conduct and eight-team women’s club league.