As national cricket selectors get ready to travel to South Africa for the Indian Premier Leagues second season, committee chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanths continued association with the Chennai Super Kings franchise is beginning to raise questions for the BCCI. Srikkanth,who was appointed as chief selector last September,is a brand ambassador of the Chennai IPL team and his dual role has raised a conflict-of-interest debate given that players from the franchise are eligible for selection for the Indian cricket team. Asked if he was still a brand ambassador of the Super Kings,Srikkanth told The Indian Express today Yes,I am but declined comment on whether that led to a conflict of interest. I dont want to talk about it,you ask the board about this issue, he said. The Chennai team was mired in a similar debate last season because it is owned by board secretary N Srinivasans company India Cements. Asked if Srikkanths continued association with the team was acceptable to the BCCI,Srinivasan said today: You have asked me a question that I havent really thought about. I need some time to answer this. With the T20 World Cup squad to be announced,and Srikkanth having said that IPL performances will be taken into consideration,questions are already being asked. This issue could indeed lead to a big problem. It must be clear that the selectors are always neutral, a top BCCI official conceded. Incidentally,Srikkanths predecessor Dilip Vengsarkar had been barred from writing newspaper columns after his appointment. Last year,the BCCI opted for a paid selection panel for the first time. The other four zone selectors,Narendra Hirwani (Central Zone),Surendhra Bhave (West),Raja Venkat (East) and Yashpal Sharma (North),are not connected to any IPL franchise,but Yashpal will serve as a match referee during the tournament. Asked about the travel plans of the selectors,Bhave told The Indian Express: We are yet to decide when we will leave. We will distribute the games among ourselves.
