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Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is back as a cricket administrator. Dada is the new president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), returning to the post after six years. The former BCCI president was elected unopposed at the CAB’s 94th annual general meeting on Monday, paving the way for his comeback to the state association. He had earlier served as the CAB president from 2015 to 2019.
The 53-year-old replaced his elder brother Snehasish Ganguly, who stepped down from the role following the completion of a six-year tenure cap. The first assignment for Ganguly would be to prepare the Eden Gardens track for the opening Test between India and South Africa in November 2025. This would be the first time that the venue in Kolkata would hold a Test after the historic day-night Test between India and Bangladesh in 2019.
While speaking to the media, Ganguly said that securing marquee fixtures during next year’s T20 World Cup is among his top priorities.
“This will be a good Test match, South Africa being the world champions. I will think about it. Everything is there — good pitches, good crowd, infrastructure is there,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
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“You just have to hold it properly and make sure it’s a good match. India and South Africa are both good sides, I’m sure it will be a good Test,” he added.
Ganguly Wishes Mithun Manhas
Ganguly, who was recently appointed as the head coach of Pretoria Capitals for the upcoming edition of the SA20, also wished Mithun Manhas all the very best as he is all set to begin his reign as the next BCCI president. He also said that he would work in tandem with the BCCI so that Eden Gardens can host a respectable number of T20 World Cup matches.
“I will speak to the Board. They are also new members. I wish him (the new BCCI president) all the best. It would be different from playing cricket. I’m sure he would do well. It’s not just Mithun, a lot of new office bearers, including Raghuram Bhat,” said Ganguly, who will represent CAB at the BCCI annual general meeting on Sunday, September 28, in Mumbai.
Ganguly also discussed his plans to expand Eden Gardens’ capacity to more than 1 lakh. If the expansion is completed, Eden Gardens would become the second-largest cricket stadium in the country after the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“Whatever happens, it will be after the T20 World Cup next year. It will take time. The lease has been renewed,” said the former India captain.
