Sourav Ganguly will know his fate on February 4

Sourav Ganguly will know his fate on February 4. The governing council of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is meeting in Mumbai that day, will decide if Team Kochi can sign the former India captain. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has a written a letter to the franchises asking them if any team has an objection if certain sides sign unsold Indian players.

The move, in general, is aimed at three Indian unsold players — Wasim Jaffer and VRV Singh besides Ganguly — from the auction, but in particular, revolves around the Prince of Kolkata. The BCCI initiative is an offshoot of a letter written by Team Kochi expressing interest in signing Ganguly.

“As you know, the auction regulations were very clear that players not taken in the auction could only play in IPL 2011 as replacement players. Before the governing council deliberates on this issue, I wanted to get your views on this issue and if your franchise is agreeable to permit a franchise to buy any unsold Indian players from the auction,” a mail from IPL COO Sundar Raman states. Raman makes it clear that a franchise with sufficient money can sign the player/s as per their base price. The franchises have been given time up to February 3.

Meanwhile, the Kochi management confirmed its interest in Ganguly. “We’ve sought permission from the IPL if we can sign Ganguly. We’re awaiting their response,” a major stakeholder of the consortium told DNA.

He, even, conceded that if Ganguly were to be signed, he would be handed the reins of the side.

But the signing may not be easy after all. At least three teams DNA has spoken to feel that it would set a wrong precedent. “If a player is signed outside the auction, where is the sanctity of the auction?” said one team official. Another suggested that he will be concerned for the IPL managers if they kept changing rules for a player.

“Where is the credibility?” It will be a dangerous precedent. Such requests will keep coming in and where do you stop,” an official from another franchise said. Yet another team said why would the IPL ask for their views when it never respects them? “When all the franchises wanted the uncapped players to be sent into auction, the IPL did not heed to our views. Why do they seek our view views now?” said another team official. However, IPL and BCCI sources say KKR are have provided no-objection on the issue.

source:dnaindia.com