Ganguly steps down from ATK-Mohun Bagan's Board of Directors

In order to avoid a possible conflict of interest, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Thursday stepped down from the Board of Directors of the Sanjiv Goenka-owned ISL club ATK-Mohun Bagan. The resignation followed the business tycoon's successful bid for IPL's Lucknow franchise. Ganguly has been a part of Atletico-Kolkata since the start of ISL in 2014. It was then renamed Amar Tomar Kolkata and later merged with legacy club Mohun Bagan. Goenka's RP-SG Group took the IPL Lucknow team for Rs 7090 crore on Monday.

"Yes, Sourav Ganguly has already sent a letter to ATK-Mohun Bagan management and intimated them that he will no longer be able to have a seat among club's Board of Directors as RP-Sanjiv Goenka group are now owners of IPL team and it could be a case of Conflict of Interest," a senior IPL source informed on Thursday.

"Once the IPL bid was over, it was a formality and Ganguly has done the needful. Till RP-SG bid wasn't successfully, there was no case of Conflict of Interest as they were not a part of IPL," the source added.

Goenka had earlier informed CNBC-TV18 that Ganguly would step down. "Well, I think he is going to step down from Mohun Bagan completely... I think today," Goenka had said. "It is for Sourav to make the announcement. I mean, sorry. I think I pre-empted it."

As per rule 38(iv), direct or indirect Conflict of Interest is "When the BCCI, a Member, the IPL or a Franchisee enter into contractual arrangements with entities in which the individual concerned or his/her relative, partner or close associate has an interest. This is to include cases where family members, partners or close associates are in position that may, or may be seen to compromise as individual's participation, performance and discharge of roles."