WCAI optimistic of merger with BCCI

The Women's Cricket Association of India is hoping that India's spectacular run at the women's World Cup in South Africa, where the team finished runners-up, will facilitate the process of merging with the Board for Control of Cricket in India.

"Since the ICC and International Women's Cricket Council have merged, we feel that very soon the merger of the WCAI and the BCCI will also happen," said Shubhangi Kulkarni, honorary secretary of the WCAI.

Also read: Mithali lauds World Cup showing

"The WCAI has been given an extension of one year by the ICC, while the other women's boards have been told to merge with their cricket boards."

Kulkarni said since the ICC and IWCC have merged, it would now be difficult for the WCAI to participate in international tournaments, unless it merges with the BCCI.

"The ICC has given us a period of one year to merge with the BCCI, but I am sure the merger will happen soon."

The BCCI had rejected the WCAI's merger offer a couple of years back.

"We had spoken to the BCCI president, Jagmohan Dalmiya, a couple of years back about the merger and he had put it to the AGM of the Board. He then replied back saying that the merger is not possible now, but maybe later on."

Kulkarni said the BCCI had been approached again, a couple of months back.

"We have not yet received a response from the BCCI after that. We will be approaching the BCCI again in a couple of weeks," she added.

Kulkarni said she had spoken to ICC president Ehsan Mani in South Africa, and he assured her that the merger would take place.

"He said that he would speak to the BCCI regarding this matter. We are hopeful that a solution will come out soon," she added.

However, one wonders if a quick solution is possible considering the countless pending matters before the BCCI and the never-ending legal battles it is engaged in. The unprofessional approach of the BCCI has made the simplest of things seem difficult, the best example being the pending issue of telecast rights.