New Delhi [India], January 26 : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajeev Shukla has expressed grief at the demise of former board president IS Bindra and recalled his contribution in the Board moving to a system of telecast rights, which transformed its finances.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Inderjit Singh (IS) Bindra passed away at the age of 84 in New Delhi on Sunday.
"IS Bindraji's death is a great loss not only to Indian cricket but also to world cricket. It was a huge contribution from him, be it at the level of the ICC or at the level of the country. We remember those days when we used to win the World Cup in 1983. We did not have the money to give as a prize money to the players. With the help of Lata Mangeshkar, we were able to give prize money of Rs 1 lakh each to players," Shukla told ANI.
"Bindra and Dalmia (Jagmohan Dalmia, former BCCI president) worked together on television rights. Earlier, matches used to be aired on Doordarshan. These two worked together on concept that the television rights could be sold and money could be earned through it. This was not in the minds of people earlier. Now, the income of BCCI is thousands of crores rupees, which is being spent on Indian players, stadiums are being built. It was Bindraji who started this wheel of progress. We pay our homage to him," he added.
Bindra served as BCCI president from 1993 to 1996 and played a pivotal role in shaping modern Indian cricket administration. He was also a towering figure in Punjab cricket, having served as the president of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) for an unprecedented 36 years, from 1978 to 2014, as per ESPNCricinfo.
One of his most enduring legacies was the development of the PCA Stadium in Mohali, which was later named after him. The venue has hosted several iconic matches in Indian cricket history, including the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, in which Sachin Tendulkar scored a memorable 85. It also staged the virtual knockout group match of the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup between India and Australia, where Virat Kohli's brilliant unbeaten 82 guided India to through a dramatic run chase against Australia to seal a semifinal berth, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Bindra, along with former BCCI presidents NKP Salve and Jagmohan Dalmiya, played a crucial role in bringing the 1987 ICC Cricket 50-over World Cup to the subcontinent (co-hosted by India and Pakistan) after the first three editions were held in England. This marked a massive shift in cricket's ecosystem and India, and its neighours emerged as a massive cricketing market.
Pakistan went on to win the 1992 World Cup, while Sri Lanka won the 1996 edition. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh hosted the 2011 World Cup and India hosted the 2023 ODI World Cup. Sri Lanka (2012), Bangladesh (2014) and India (2016) hosted the T20 World Cup
The upcoming edition will also be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February. Former Team India manager and BCCI official Amit Mathur recalled security concerns raised by Australia and England ahead of the 1986 World Cup amid India-Pakistan tensions, and said it was Bindra who suggested a visit by Pakistan's then-military ruler, General Zia-ul-Haq, to India to help break the impasse, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Despite differences with Jagmohan Dalmiya at various points, Bindra later joined hands with him to successfully bring the 1996 World Cup back to the subcontinent.
In later years, when Sharad Pawar served as ICC president from 2010 to 2012, Bindra was his principal advisor, extending his influence across the PCA, BCCI and ICC.