Shillong, Jun 23: There is barely any time left to prepare for the upcoming BCCI domestic season but the administration of the Meghalaya Cricket Association continues to remain deadlocked with MCA President James PK Sangma up against Honorary Secretary Rayonald Kharkamni and the rest of the Apex Council.
This division has been fought out in public and has led to a freeze of the MCA’s bank accounts, with consequences for players, support staff, office staff, groundsmen, district associations and others.
The Shillong Cricket Association called a press conference at its office in Polo Ground today where the precariousness of the situation was spelled out in no uncertain terms.
At issue is who can control the MCA’s purse strings. SCA President Peter Macdonald Kharsawian (who was an Apex Council Member in the previous body) said that the association’s constitution mandates three signatories – the President, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer. However, Sangma apparently wants the Secretary removed from this list. After assuming office in January Sangma has complained about the way the previous Apex Council conducted itself, from sanctioning what he said were excessive travel expenses, slow movement on the Bhoirymbong indoor training facility, to how the MCA handled a sexual harassment complaint. Kharkamni was the Honorary Secretary of the last Apex Council and was reelected unopposed to the current body.
The Sangma administration also came in for criticism by Kharsawian. “In the past, after an election, the Apex Council would call a meeting of all the district associations to appoint members to the different committees. This has not happened even though the election was seven months ago.” The lines of communication are also confused, with separate email addresses set up for the Cricket Advisory Committee and the President, apart from the older MCA email.
The MCA receives crores of rupees in grants from the BCCI every year. While playing fees go directly from the BCCI to the cricketers’ bank accounts, all other expenses are routed through the state association and these remain stuck in limbo.
“Inter-district tournaments have not happened this year,” Kharsawian said. “Funds for district associations to conduct camps and trials, for ground maintenance, etc, have not been received. MCA support staff have gone without pay for six-seven months now.”
He pleaded with the bank signatories to put aside any differences they might have and release funds to ease the pain faced by the different stakeholders. “Then, if there are expenses that the President wants to look deeper into, he can do that without everyone else getting hurt,” Kharsawian said.
However, despite holding out hope for some reconciliation between the warring parties, the SCA President felt that new elections might be the only way forward. “We have met the President several times and the SCA even supported his candidature,” he said, adding a reply to a question that, though there is a mechanism to impeach the President, doing so would almost certainly end with the matter in a drawn out legal case.
Over the last decade Shillong has hosted BCCI domestic matches every year (except during the Covid-19 pandemic) but there is a very real risk that if the impasse continues there will be no matches held here in 2026-27. Indeed, the MCA Cricket Ground is in a rather forlorn shape at the moment. Kharsawian said that July is the latest by which work will have to begin on preparing the square for the new season.
Joining Kharsawian at the press conference were SCA Vice-Presidents Alex Lynser and Suprio Dhar and Treasurer Mackie D Blah.
On the district association’s preparations, Lynser said that trials have been held for the inter-district tournament but things are stuck at the moment and nothing is moving forwards. This could also have a direct impact on the Meghalaya state teams.
Blah, who is also a recognised coach, cautioned that the trouble in the MCA could have repercussions further down the line. “Cricket has started to grow in this state, which is otherwise so focused on football. Lots of children are coming forward but this trouble has really hit the spirit of the cricketers,” he said.
If there is no reconciliation and Sangma does not step aside willingly, unhappy Apex Councillors and district associations hope that the BCCI will intervene.
