Asked if Sourav’s IPL commitment is a reason for not contesting this year, Snehashis said: “The IPL has nothing to do with it. BCCI rules don’t bar any IPL player to contest for an administrative post. Maybe the time is not opportune yet. But there’s a strong possibility that he will throw his hat in the ring next year.”

Sourav has, time and again, indicated that he is not very happy with the way Bengal cricket is being run, and questioned Dalmiya’s leadership when he publicly threw his weight behind former CAB president Prasun Mukherjee in 2006.

Dalmiya, on Wednesday, side-stepped questions on the issue. “I don’t have any idea whether they (the opposition group) will fight for any post this time. I also don’t have any clue about who could be their candidate.” The CAB elections are scheduled for later this month.

Sources in the board said that the opposition group was making significant overtures to unsettle Dalmiya, and had recently tried to persuade federal Minister of State for Tourism, Sultan Ahmed, to contest for the president’s post. Ahmed had not agreed, but had said that Sourav would be a better choice.

“Sourav is young. He would usher in fresh ideas. If somebody, who is better than Dalmiya, takes charge of Bengal cricket it would be good for the game in the state,” he had said.

‘Dravid recall a bonus’

But while Ganguly declined to give a clear answer on when he would step into the fray, he was candid when asked about his former team mate Rahul Dravid’s return to the one-day fold after his inclusion in the 30 probables for the Champions Trophy.

... contd.