Sunil Gavaskar’s huge poster at the PCA Stadium in Mohali is now missing the company of Kapil Dev’s poster that was to its right for several years.

A player who is seen as a symbol of Chandigarh’s cricket legacy, Kapil’s image —it was visible from the main gate — has been removed by the Punjab Cricket Association while photos of Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh remain in different parts of the building.

Sources in the PCA said that a top BCCI official, when he came to Mohali for the IPL matches, directed the PCA to remove Kapil’s poster after the championship because of his involvement with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). Kapil had been removed as chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after he joined the ICL as chairman.

When The Indian Express contacted MP Pandove, secretary of PCA and joint secretary of BCCI, he said: “Kapil’s poster has been removed from its place. A new extension has been constructed at the PCA Stadium, we’re just looking for an appropriate place to put up his poster. As soon as we find a place, we will place it.”

Reacting to the removal of his poster from the PCA Stadium, Kapil Dev told The Indian Express: “I’m not hurt. They did not take my permission to put up my photo, and they don’t need my permission to remove it. It doesn’t really matter to me. I can expect anything from them (BCCI).”

The BCCI, however, has finally decided to hold a felicitation function in New Delhi to mark the silver jubilee of India’s triumph in the 1983 World Cup, and Kapil — the captain of the side— has also been invited for the function.