IS Bindra to retire from cricket administration

IS Bindra, one of the senior most cricket administrators in India, is set to retire from his official duties. After heading the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) for over three decades, Bindra is set to hand over the reins to DP Reddy.

"I am happy I am withdrawing from the day-to-day running of the PCA affairs when my colleagues still want me to stay on," Bindra told Indo-Asian News Service. "I have spent 37 years as PCA president and I will be leaving a satisfied man with absolutely no regrets. I don't think you can come across such a lovable team to work with, and every Test, ODI or IPL game played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali was conducted with the same zeal and enthusiasm."

Bindra's decision means the BCCI will be without one of the most vocal critics of the current regime. Bindra was at the forefront of the opposition to the manner in which the BCCI, headed by N Srinivasan, dealt with the IPL 2013 corruption scandal. However, his voice went virtually unheard as BCCI members felt he was opposing the measures due to his close association with former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who was suspended by the BCCI following various allegations of misconduct.

Bindra, a former bureaucrat, also headed the BCCI for three years starting 1993-94. He played an instrumental role in India being awarded the 1987 and 1996 World Cups and was one of the leading faces of the BCCI in the 1990s. Bindra's last high-profile assignment was being appointed the principal advisor to the ICC president during Sharad Pawar's two-year stint in the role.

Bindra, along with Jagmohan Dalmiya, changed the face of Indian cricket by sensing the potential of revenue from television rights and roping in private broadcasters, thus sowing seeds of India's financial influence over world cricket.