Trouble In MCA Before IPL 2026: HC Halts Elections, Questions 400 New Members

The Bombay High Court has halted the elections to the apex council of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) scheduled for Tuesday, raising concerns over the induction of 400 new members, which included

relatives of the current president and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar.

Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad noted that the rapid manner in which new members were admitted gave a ‘prima facie impression that everything was done in a hot haste.’ This decision came in response to multiple petitions alleging that the Supreme Court’s election norms were violated and that the inclusion of new members in the voters’ list, released on December 25, 2025, was biased.

The petitions pointed out that the new members included Rohit Pawar’s wife Kunti, his father-in-law Satish Magar, and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule’s daughter Revati. Petitioners, including former cricketer Kedar Jadhav, claimed many of these new members had no connection to cricket and were added merely to allow certain individuals to control the MCA as a private entity.

They challenged the election process as ‘illegal’ and argued that over 400 voters were ‘erroneously’ included in the draft voter list.

The high court noted that many new members were related to the president and other key office-bearers. Existing members were not given a chance to raise objections or access the minutes from the Apex Council and Annual General Meeting, it added.

Considering the allegations of illegality, arbitrariness, and nepotism, the court decided to scrutinise the decision-making process that led to the induction of 400 new members.

The court also questioned the large-scale admission of new members just before the elections, stating that it would significantly impact the election results.

“In the circumstances of the case, this Court cannot adopt a hands-off approach and allow the elections scheduled on January 6 to proceed. The high court should not permit the perpetuation of illegality,” said the division bench, instructing the electoral officer to halt the election until further notice.

The next hearing is scheduled for February 4.

The court also mentioned that the MCA’s purpose was to oversee and enhance the quality and standards of cricket in the state, establish policies, and construct stadiums of international standards, questioning whether a person could become a life member of the association simply by donating funds towards cricket.

Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the MCA, argued that the newly inducted members had made significant contributions to the sport by donating crores of rupees, and MCA’s rules do not require that only cricketers or those associated with the sport can be members.

The trouble couldn’t have come at a worse time for the MCA. The organisation is set to host IPL matches after three years, with the Rajasthan Royals partially shifting base to the MCA Stadium in Pune for the upcoming season. The handful of games could bring huge revenue for the board.

The Royals’ home state board, the Rajasthan Cricket Association, is already going through similar political tussles, which haven’t helped its case to retain the franchise’s interest.