Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly got a big sigh of relief when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allowed him to sit in the dugout of Delhi Capitals. He was facing conflict of interest as he is the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) along with being the cricket adviser of IPL franchise Delhi. Ganguly will have to appear before the Ombudsman of BCCI in order to solve this conflict of interest.

A source revealed that Justice (Retd) DK Jain may meet Ganguly in person before making a final call on this case. Three Kolkata based fans, in a letter to BCCI Ombudsman-cum-Ethics-Officer DK Jain, alleged that the former India skipper’s dual role is a case of Conflict of Interest. However, Ganguly responded to Ombudsman and categorically denied the charge.

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“There is absolutely no bar on Sourav sitting in the DC dug-out. In any case, the matter is still pending with the Ombudsman and no law can prevent him from being present in the dug-out,” a top BCCI official told PTI.

“But yes, if he wants to sit somewhere else, it will be his call. And Justice Jain has already made it clear that one particular match is not his concern. So that makes it clear,” the official said.

When asked why Ganguly has to meet the Ombudsman in person, the source replied “It’s following the principles of natural justice. Even Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul deposed in person after their written submissions. I am not saying Ombudsman will call Sourav but he has that option before the matter is brought to a closure.”

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Meanwhile, there is a big group in BCCI, which believes there isn’t any case of conflict of interest.

“I can’t predict Ombudsman’s line of decision-making but one must take into account that these allegations could be due to a disgruntled few, who are against Sourav. All these issues need to be factored in,” the board official added.