Mamata Banerjee Slams BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has slammed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly for not informing her government about the cancellation of the India-South Africa match at Eden Gardens on March 18.

On Friday, the BCCI called off the remaining two games of the three-match series in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first game of the series in Dharamsala was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain and wet outfield. At first, it was decided that the remaining two games of the series, scheduled to take place in Lucknow and Kolkata, would take place behind closed doors.

However, the BCCI and its South African counterpart later agreed to call-off the tour. Both the boards have also decided that the series would take place at a later date this year.

But while BCCI’s decision is being praised by many, Mamata Banerjee was not at all happy for not being informed about the same. Her anguish came on a day the state Assembly speaker Biman Banerjee announced restrictions on visitors’ entry.

“Everything was alright with Sourav. But they should have told us a word, nothing else. When the match was scheduled to be held in Kolkata, at least the Kolkata Police should have been informed.

“I am saying this with due respect. Why would not the state chief secretary or home secretary or police commissioner or someone else in the government be informed?

“How is that if you inform us after taking a decision? We are not asking you to stop the match. But what would you have done had you been in this situation?” Banerjee said.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has also suspended the Indian Premier League (IPL) till April 15 due to the pandemic. A decision on the fate of the tournament this year will be taken in the coming days.

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