Rarely has an annual general meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Calcutta been held without any drama and tension.

The last two AGMs at the Taj Bengal in 2004 and 2005 had heralded a new era in BCCI politics with the advent of the Sharad Pawar-IS Bindra-Lalit Modi-N. Srinivasan combine. Pawar lost to the ruling group’s nominee, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, in 2004, courtesy outgoing president Jagmohan Dalmiya’s controversial casting vote following a 15-15 tie.

Pawar extracted his revenge the following year, defeating Dalmiya-backed Mahendra.

The 90th AGM at the same venue on Saturday will be shorn of any spectacle given that elections have ceased to exist in the BCCI for a decade now. President Sourav Ganguly, secretary Jay Shah and other office-bearers will continue in their positions as the matter concerning their cooling-off period is yet to be heard by the Supreme Court.

The Board could decide to keep the members informed of the uncertainty surrounding India’s scheduled tour of South Africa following the detection of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 which has made the players wary. The matter is not listed but since this is of utmost importance, the president could decide to update the house.

Captain Virat Kohli said on Thursday that the players will have “absolute clarity” on the tour in “a day or two or pretty soon” and the Board is awaiting a response from the players. None is willing to take a call yet given the ever-changing situation in South Africa.

The entry of two new franchises in the IPL will also be discussed. While the Lucknow franchise has gone to Sanjiv Goenka-backed RPSG Ventures Ltd, the Ahmedabad franchise has run into trouble after it emerged that owners CVC Capital Partners have links with betting companies abroad.

At an IPL governing council meeting on Friday morning, the members were told that the BCCI is awaiting recommendation from a neutral committee in this regard. That such a panel would be constituted was reported by The Telegraph on November 29.

The matter would be settled at the earliest to smoothly conduct the mega-auction for the 10-team tournament, which is expected to begin in April.

For granting of media rights, which is up for renewal, the BCCI is set to consult an external agency on whether to have an e-auction or a closed bidding process.