Dalmiya may play negotiator for IPL in Eden

Kolkata, Feb 24 (UNI) Efforts are afoot by the opposition in Cricket Association Bengal(CAB) to plead their case in the Special General Meetingc (SGM) through Jagmohan Dalmiya currently on a self-imposed exile.

''I have not made up my mind as yet, though a lot of member associations have approached me,'' Dalmiya told UNI.

CAB President Prasun Mukherjee has called a Special General Body Meeting (SGM) to iron out the differences that have risen regarding the sharing of tickets during the IPL. While BCCI has given clear directives that the state associations will get no more than 20 per cent of the tickets, the opposition, it seems, will settle for nothing less than 30 per cent.

Speaking for the opposition, Biswaroop Dey, who represents Central Calcutta Sporting Club, told UNI, ''We are trying to get a two-third majority of the member clubs to sign our demands. That would be a little more than 70. We have only one objective and that is to see how can the IPL money help in building the infrastructure of the members of CAB.'' ''We are also not against IPL matches. We are against being left out. Moreover, the Working Committee meeting was also held without any papers being shown by the President. How can we believe only the word of mouth, we need something concrete,'' he said.

''If we can get more than two third signatures of the member associations, we will coax Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya to plead our case in the SGM,'' he said.

Gautam Dasgupta, former joint-secretary of BCCI, said, ''There are two things that we want. First we want to know clearly in writing the terms and conditions of holding the IPL. Secondly as we understand that IPL is a money spinning event, so we must know clearly what is CAB's share and how much of it would be ploughed back for the development of cricket in Bengal.'' Prasun Mukherjee had put forward certain querries to the BCCI,''There are three groups of people who are getting adversely affected, as far as distribution of tickets are concerned. Clubs, who as members were entitled to a certain quota of club house tickets, complimentary tickets and priced tickets (which they used to buy); the 31,000 associate members, honorary members and life members, who used to get complimentary tickets, as per Cab rules; and Companies, with whom CAB has contracts for boxes, have the impression that they are entitled to their boxes during all major matches at the Eden Gardens. They are not going to get their boxes.'' IPL Commissioner and chairman Lalit Modi in reply threatened the CAB of withdrawing the Kolkata team and bringing it to Ahmedabad if it did not adhere to the rules and regulations of the League.

UNI BA LL AB RAR RK1956