It's an entity without an office, an address or a website. And now, thanks to litigation, it's not even clear if it has a head and a body. But that does not stop it from earning hundreds of crores from the cream of corporate India and a vast-paying public. Yes, we're talking about the other D-company-better known as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)-the "D" in this case standing for its patron saint, Jagmohan Dalmiya.

The above illustrations are symptomatic of the deeper rot that runs through India's richest sports body. The dazzle of multi-million-dollar television contracts and sponsorship deals had blinded the public to its flaws. But questions are now being raised on what the Board does with the crores it earns every year.

A major portion of match fees paid to players comes from sponsors. The basic cricket infrastructure outside of the metros and one or two other centres remains abysmal and the state of affairs in domestic tournaments, pathetic. Even in international cricket, the fortunes of the Indian team have ebbed and flowed, and the Board has done little to improve the bench strength of the team by streamlining the nurseries of domestic tournaments. The Sachin Tendulkars and the Sourav Gangulys, who come up in spite of the Board, tower over the game, and their multi-crore endorsement contracts-signed in the full glare of media publicity-camouflage the often-pitiful state of cricketers who can't graduate to the big league.

So what does BCCI do with its crores? Is it that hundreds (and now, possibly, even thousands) of crores of rupees are left parked in bank accounts and other instruments-giving its custodians tremendous clout in areas not connected with the game? No clear answers have ever been forthcoming from the cricket authorities.

To be perfectly fair to Mr. Dalmiya-to many, he is synonymous with the Board-it must be admitted that it was his acumen, fighting instincts and negotiating skills that raised cricket from the dumps it was in till the eighties. He can honestly claim credit for almost single-handedly turning the BCCI into the multi-hundred-crore cricket corporation it is today. Remember, it earned only Rs 5 lakh in 1987. But while marketing the game so magnificently, he left the legacy administrative structure of the Board untouched. The BCCI continues to be run by amateurs. This was amply demonstrated in the way it handled the award of the telecast contract this year. Instead of beginning the process well in advance, the Board waited till the last moment, goofed up on the eligibility criteria and found itself being dragged to court. What should have been a thousand-crore-plus bonanza became a troubled bone of contention. There are reports at the time of going to press that the Board has worked out a last-minute deal to air the India-Australia series, but this is subject to ratification by the Supreme Court. The last ball has clearly not yet been bowled in this match.

Compare this state of affairs with the way the game is run in Australia and England. Though a lot "poorer" than their Indian counterpart, the day-to-day affairs of Cricket Australia and England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are run by full-time paid professionals. And the difference they make is too evident to bear repetition.

Today, as the BCCI finds itself spending more time with lawyers than with cricketers-it is entangled in at least half-a-dozen court cases at last count-there are serious threats to its autonomy. The Delhi High Court has threatened a CAG audit of its accounts. The Supreme Court is expected to soon give a ruling on whether the Board is an arm of the government. Unless the BCCI cleans up its act fast, it could, in the foreseeable future, end up as an adjunct of the government. That would be a pity, given the government's miserable track record in managing its own house. To pre-empt that, the BCCI must put in place a corporate governance structure and follow corporate best practices norms commensurate with the size of its balance sheet and the popularity of the game. Otherwise, it could become a victim of its own success.