Pawar to attend Gavaskar's dinner bash to celebrate World Cup win

Mumbai, Jun 18 (UNI) The gala dinner, to be hosted by Sunil Gavaskar at Lords in London on June 25 to celebrate the silver jubilee of India's only World Cup triumph, will be attended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sharad Pawar.

''I have got an invitation but I am not attending it. Mr Pawar (among others) will be attending it,'' said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah today.

The gala dinner, which has been organised by former captain and 1983 team member Gavaskar, is scheduled three days after the felicitation function by BCCI to honour Kapil Dev and his teammates at New Delhi.

''They (members of the 1983 World Cup winning squad) will be given cheques worth Rs 25 lakh each,'' Shah said about the BCCI's function on June 22.

The felicitation, scheduled in the evening and for which all former India Test captains have been invited along with all past office bearers of the Board, will be preceded by the meeting of the Working Committee of the BCCI in the morning.

''Routine matters like reports of various sub-committees will be taken up for ratification, Shah said, adding, IPL was not on the agenda of this working committee meeting.

Shah also professed ignorance over the reported statement by Pawar yesterday, that the BCCI would not stop any players connected with the rebel Indian Cricket League from being included in English county teams, which qualify for the forthcoming Champions League Twenty20 event in September.

''I don't know anything about this,'' he added.

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