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In a shocking turn of events, former Indian cricketer turned politician Harbhajan Singh has alleged Punjab Cricket Association president Gulzarinder Chahal of being involved in illegal activities, and apprised the stakeholders associated with PCA about the same.
The 42-year-old cricketer has stated that PCA president is trying hard to induct around 150 members with voting rights without either consultation or the apex council's assent. The Rajya Sabha member has requested to stop the illegal activities immediately to restore the integrity of the state association.
Notably, the Punjab Cricket Association recently honored Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh by naming stands after them at the international stadium in Mohali.
In his letter to PCA stakeholders, the vital member of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning Indian team, wrote, "For the last week or ten days, I have been receiving numerous complaints from cricket lovers in Punjab and several stakeholders that the PCA under the present President is restoring to lot of illegal activities which is against transparency and the spirit of cricket administration. I learnt that yesterday, complaints in this regard have been lodged with the Ombudsman."
He stated that such acts are against the BCCI constitution, guidelines of the PCA and the violation of transparency and ethical norms in the administration of sports bodies.
"To hide their illegal activities, they are not organizing formal meetings of the PCA, and are taking all the decisions suo moto which serve their selfish motives," added Singh.
One of the longest-serving players for Team India, Harbhajan Singh played 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is. He picked 417 batters in Test cricket, and 269 ODIs. Harbhajan Singh retired from international cricket but continues to be associated with the sport in various capacities. While he can be seen airing his views on news channels, he also works as a commentator in certain tournaments. He captained the Manipal Tigers team in the Legends League Cricket, a T20 tournament meant exclusively for retired cricketers.