Devajit Saikia clarifies Uma Chetry welcome row, urges against politicising her success

Guwahati, Nov 9: BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia on Saturday dismissed all controversies surrounding the welcome of Assam cricketer Uma Chetry, a member of India's World Cup-winning women's team, saying the uncertainty over the players' return stemmed from a packed schedule.

Saikia explained that after India's historic ICC Women's World Cup win on November 2, players and support staff were scheduled to return home within two days. However, last-minute meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu led to the cancellation of all travel plans.

"Even Uma was not aware of her travel date. It was only finalised after the meeting with the President on November 6 afternoon," Saikia told reporters in Guwahati.

He said it was unfair to blame anyone for the confusion as the players' movement was decided by the BCCI at short notice.

Referring to the State's ongoing mourning over the demise of singer Zubeen Garg, Saikia said organising loud celebrations would have been inappropriate.

"Even when I was re-elected as the BCCI secretary for the second time on September 28, I requested everyone not to hold celebrations. We were not in a mood to celebrate," he said.

Saikia added that Assam Cricket Association (ACA) representatives were present at the airport to receive Uma. The welcoming team included ACA apex council member Mukuta Nanda Bhattacharjya, APL governing council chairperson Rajdeep Oja, and ACA CEO Pritam Mahanta.

"The primary job of the association is not to gather crowds or celebrate. Their focus is to organise tournaments and build better infrastructure for players, and they are doing that efficiently," Saikia said, adding that most players were engaged in ongoing competitions like the Ranji Trophy.

He appealed to the public not to politicise Uma Chetry’s success. “She is a young player who has made us proud. Please don't drag her into politics for personal gain," he urged.

Saikia also announced that on Sunday, Uma, along with her parents and coaches, will be felicitated at the ACA Stadium premises. "The ACA has always supported promising talents like Uma and will continue to do so," he added.

Congratulating the Indian women's team for their historic World Cup triumph under captain Harmanpreet Kaur and coach Amol Muzumdar, Saikia said the victory reflected years of planning and reforms initiated by former BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

"It was under Jay Shah's leadership that pay parity was introduced and the Women's Premier League was launched. These steps have transformed women's cricket in India," Saikia said.

He noted that the increased number of domestic tournaments and equal pay structure had created a more profession-al environment for women cricketers, adding, "Other cricket boards have now followed India's example."

Speaking on the much-talked-about Asia Cup trophy issue, Saikia said the matter was being handled amicably.

"Our whole country is waiting for the Asia Cup trophy that India won in August in Dubai. The trophy has not arrived yet, but discussions are ongoing," he said.

Saikia revealed that during a recent ICC meeting, he held a separate discussion with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in the presence of an ICC official.

"It was a positive step toward resolving the issue. Both sides interacted cordially, and I am hopeful that the matter will be settled soon”, he said.