Kumble says KSCA made progress by keeping away likes of Patel

Former India captain and Karnataka State Cricket Association President Anil Kumble today said that the KSCA was able to work for the progress of cricket in the state because his team was successful in keeping away former secretary Brijesh Patel and his associates from the helm of affairs.
"For three years you have seen the progress, it's because we have kept away not only people like Brijesh but also people associated with him. I think that was extremely critical. We need good people to contribute and to do this you don't need to be in power," he told reporters here.

Kumble alleged that Patel tried to prevent him from contesting KSCA presidential election on a frivolous basis.
"He was against my contesting elections as he asked me to withdraw my candidature saying the registrar of society had rejected his membership as the association did not intimate him about an amendment of a law pertaining to granting of membership. The amendment was done to help cricketers like me who have played 50 Tests to get membership, without waiting for two years as it was before," he said.
Kumble said that Patel, who was a part of Sports Frontier earlier, was the biggest beneficiary of Karnataka Premier League in 2008 and 2009.

"The biggest beneficiary was Sporting Frontiers which was hired to conduct KPL. In two years, close to Rs 1.6 to 1.7 crore were received by them as fee at the cost of franchisees ... There are records that in 2000-2001 Brijesh was part of that agency," said Kumble who is not contesting next month's KSCA elections.
He also supported former India fast bowler and KSCA Secretary Javagal Srinath's challenge to hold a public debate as to Patel's intentions of fighting an election after 12 years and talk of his vision for developing cricket in the state.