The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been ordered by the Uttarakhand High Court to reply to a number of petitions alleging widespread financial irregularities inside the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU). The issue concerns allegations of exaggerated costs, misappropriation of public funds, and a dearth of essential amenities for participants.
Sanjay Rawat, a resident of Dehradun, and others filed petitions citing an audit report of the CAU’s financial year 2024–2025 records, which sparked the dispute. An external chartered accountant completed the study, which revealed dubious expenses, including an astounding INR 35 lakh that was billed to players as bananas. Additionally, it disclosed that INR 26.3 crore was recorded as tournament and trial expenses, up from INR 22.3 crore the year before, while INR 6.4 crore was paid in event management fees.
State cricketers never received assured facilities, claim petitioners
These figures drew attention, especially as petitioners alleged that state players had never gotten the promised facilities. Rather, it seemed that the money set up for player welfare and cricket development had been diverted under exaggerated expenditure headings.
After considering the petitions, Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari sent notifications to the BCCI, requesting an explanation of the national cricket organization’s supervision function in the case. The petitioners claimed that while CAU spent crores on food and logistics, players were not given the right facilities, gear, or assistance for training.
In a separate petition, former CAU vice-president Surendra Bhandari claimed that the tender for the Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL) 2025, which is set to start on September 23, was awarded irregularly. He said that there was no open bidding process and that only one company was awarded the contract. He added that the association has received around INR 22 crore in support since CAU was officially recognized by the BCCI in 2019. However, a large portion of this funding was misappropriated for private benefit rather than talent development or infrastructure.
