Justice Lodha has categorically mentioned that they are not against the BCCI holding the Third Test match between India and New Zealand in Indore. Not only that, RM Lodha personally wrote to the banks to unblock the BCCI accounts on Tuesday morning.
The cricket board, earlier in the day, said that the Justice RM Lodha Committee sent a letter to banks to freeze their accounts. However, the judicial body appointed by the Supreme Court soon came up with a counter-statement.
"We have asked BCCI to stop giving large funds to State Associations, but we have not asked BCCI to stop funds for routine matters," Justice RM Lodha told ANI. "Directives which we issued to BCCI yesterday in our e-mail is confined to disbursement of large funds to State Associations. Banks are directed to ensure compliance of that," the former Chief Justice of India added.
"Routine expenses for matches, games, cricketing activities & other administrative matters are not at all restrained."
The BCCI claimed that the final Test match between Virat Kohli's men and the Kiwis cannot go smoothly when their bank accounts remained frozen. However, Justice Lodha has clarified their stance on the development.
"There is no question of any cancellations of game or series," the 67-year-old said. "If Champions Trophy calendar was already settled a year back, our recommendations won't affect that," he added, referring to the Indian cricket schedule, where the Lodha committee had asked the BCCI to have a 15-day gap between their international commitments and the IPL.
