A disappointing Ranji Trophy season for Mumbai has brought coach Vinayak Samant under the radar. For the second time in a row, the 41-time champions faced an ouster from the Ranji Trophy knockout stage after they were unable to win against Saurashtra last week. Mumbai's senior team will possibly end the season without a trophy.
According to a report by Mid-Day, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) members during Tuesday's Apex Council meeting were unanimous in deciding Samant's removal as a coach. The discussion on sacking him was made after Mumbai's final Ranji Trophy match ended against Madhya Pradesh.
The report further stated that Samant will be issued a 30-day notice before he is terminated. His one-year contract ends in May. Samant was appointed the Ranji coach just prior to the inception of the new season and as the coach after Sulakshan Kulkarni refused to accept the revised terms.
During the meeting, the names of Lalchand Rajput and Sanjay Bangar were discussed for potential candidates to coach Mumbai for the next season. The cricket association intends to have a former Test player to coach the team. Further, the Apex Council is ready to spend more to recruit a "top" coach.
On the other hand, all the franchise owners of the T20 Mumbai League have written to the MCA, asking the association to disclose the audited financial reports of the revenue and expenses of its two seasons. Requesting for transparency, the owners of the eight teams have also expressed their wish to directly deal with the MCA instead of Probability Sport, the organiser of the T20 league.
The Annual General Meeting of the MCA will be held on April 17, 2020, where major appointments and decisions will be made. Key appointments of various committees, including the Cricket Improvement Committee, will be formed at the AGM as per the new constitution.
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