A four-nation ODI Super Series will start from 2021, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly said on Friday.

“Australia, England, India and another top team will feature in the Super Series which begins in 2021 and the first edition of the tournament will be played in India,” Sourav said on the sidelines of an event organised by fantasy cricket app My11Circle.

Sourav was recently in London along with BCCI secretary Jay Shah and treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal, where he met the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) top brass. When asked about the meeting, Sourav said: “We have very good relations with the ECB and the meeting went off very well.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC), generally, doesn’t allow ODI tournaments which involve more than three teams. If the Super Series does take place, it will be treated as a special case.

The ICC recently proposed one flagship tournament every year during the next eight-year FTP cycle (2023-2031), but the BCCI, Cricket Australia and ECB have opposed the move.

The matter will come up for discussion again during the ICC chief executives’ meeting. The question is, in case the ICC gives the necessary permission, will it directly conflict their FTP proposal?

On a different note, the former India captain informed that the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will be formed within two days and then they would announce the new selection panel, which would have a three-year tenure.

“We will have to form the CAC for just one meeting (for picking the selection panel). So it was a bit difficult to get three suitable people, but we have almost zeroed in on the members,” Sourav informed.

Talking about the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions, Sourav was not surprised with Pat Cummins fetching such a huge price.

The Australian pace bowler was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 15.5 crore at the auction on Thursday, the most expensive overseas player in the history of IPL.

“No, I don’t think the amount was too high. It has a lot to do with the demand… Especially at these small auctions, franchises go all out after one player. That is why Ben Stokes’s value shot off the roof to Rs 14.5 crore when he was the part of a similar small auction in 2017,” Sourav said.

Only two Bengal players — Ishan Porel and Shahbaz Ahmed — found teams at the auction this time. But the BCCI president sounded happy. “I wish both of them all the best. Hope they will do well. Not only them, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Mohammed Shami are also with the IPL teams.”

“This was my first auction as BCCI president, the overall experience was quite good. It seems all the teams are balanced and the matches would be enjoyable,” he said.

Sourav also chose his fantasy team for the IPL where he picked Rishabh Pant over Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the wicketkeeper for his team. “At this point in time I will pick Pant, but it is just for fun, don’t make it a headline,” Sourav quipped.

Sourav’s team read Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Shubman Gill, Pant, Andre Russell, Jasprit Bumrah, Riyan Parag, Marcus Stoinis, Jofra Archer, Ravindra Jadeja.

But who will be the coach and captain of the team? “The match will be played at the Eden for the team I have picked… I don’t think the captain has to do a lot. So I will be the captain-cum-coach of the team,” Sourav said on a lighter note.