MS Dhoni to mentor India in T20 World Cup: Madhya Pradesh cricket official Sanjeev Gupta questions BCCI move

Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) life member Sanjeev Gupta has questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for taking the decision to appoint former captain MS Dhoni as the Indian team's mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Dhoni's appointment as India's mentor for the T20 World Cup was made official by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who played a crucial role in convincing the former captain and the team management about the addition to the support staff.

Jay Shah said on Wednesday that Dhoni was keen on contributing to the senior national team and that his appointment as mentor for only for the T20 World Cup.

But Sanjeev Gupta is not in favour of this decision and has written to all the members of the BCCI Apex Council, in the absence of an ethics officer, questioning the appointment of Dhoni as India's mentor. He has clearly mentioned in his letter that this is a case of conflict of interest.

Gupta questioned as to how can the reigning captain of Chennai Super Kings also be the mentor of Team India? He gave the example of how Rahul Dravid had to leave his coaching role at Rajasthan Royals to become the director of the National Cricket Academy.

Gupta's letter alleged that the BCCI's latest decision is a gross violation of the Supreme Court norms. The Indian cricket board though, is yet to respond to Gupta's letter.

India named a 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. There were a few surprise picks and omissions as the likes of R Ashwin and Axar Patel found a place while Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya missed out. The tournament will be played from October 17 to November 14 in UAE and Oman.