USA Cricket, the country’s governing body for the sport, is yet again at the center of a legal battle as current and former board members have filed a lawsuit to address “serious governance failures”.
This legal action comes at a critical juncture, as the International Cricket Council (ICC) continues to scrutinise USA Cricket’s governance.
The ICC had previously issued a deferred suspension, urging immediate reforms. With cricket’s inclusion in the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics, the ongoing turmoil threatens to undermine the sport’s growth and stability in the United States.
Current USA Cricket board director Atul Rai, along with former board members Kuljit Nijjar, Arjun Gona, and Patricia Whittaker, have filed a lawsuit against the organization’s leadership, alleging election manipulation, governance breaches, and violations of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) regulations.
The lawsuit alleges that key board members colluded to unconstitutionally remove fellow board members and that they are now deliberately manipulating membership registrations to influence the upcoming elections to replace the directors. It also highlights the board’s failure to conduct elections on time, despite the expiration of multiple board members’ terms, and points to a broader disregard for USOPC-mandated athlete representation requirements. These governance failures have raised widespread concerns about USA Cricket’s credibility and ability to function as a transparent and fair governing body.
The lawsuit names USA Cricket and several key board members as defendants, including chairman Venu Pisike, Srini Salver, Pintoo Shah, David Haubert, Nadia Gruny, and Anj Balusu. The plaintiffs are seeking the removal of these officials, reinstatement of unlawfully removed directors, and the annulment of the upcoming elections, which they claim lack transparency and fairness.
This legal action follows on from Nijjar, Whittaker and Gona’s termination on February 15 after being temporarily suspended in July 2024. The trio were suspended in the aftermath of a letter discrediting Pisike and Salver over misgovernance which was accessed and reported on by Cricbuzz. Following the termination, USAC announced the individual director elections to replace Nijjar and Gona. Furthermore, it also sought suitable replacement to fill the female independent director position left vacant by the termination of Whittaker.
Rai, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, stated: “…I would like to state that we have exhausted all internal avenues to address these governance failures, and legal action is now our only recourse to ensure that USA Cricket does not miss the opportunity to be certified by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) before the deadline expires. Since mid-last year, the USOPC has repeatedly warned USA Cricket’s governing body about governance issues and the risk of not being certified. Additionally, the ICC threatened to suspend USA Cricket last year. During the ICC AGM, USA Cricket was placed on controlled funding, and the ICC established a committee to assist with compliance issues. USA Cricket’s leadership has consistently ignored transparency and due process, threatening the integrity of the sport in the U.S. Our goal is to restore accountability, fairness, and trust in the organization.”
Per a statement issued by the plaintiffs, they “remain committed to ensuring that USA Cricket upholds the values of good governance, such as transparency and accountability, to impress upon the USOPC and ICC that they are capable of self-governance. They hope that this legal action will also pave the way for much-needed reforms that will secure a better future for cricket in the United States”.
