USA Cricket embroiled in lawsuit over governance misconduct
What's the story
USA Cricket (USAC) is being sued by its current director Atul Rai and former directors Kuljit Nijjar, Arjun Gona, and Patricia Whittaker.
The lawsuit has been filed against the governing body and its current board members - Venu Pisike, Srini Salver, Pintoo Shah, David Haubert, Nadia Gruny, as well as Anj Balusu.
The group has accused the organization of governance "misconduct" in a complaint at the Boulder County District Court in Colorado.
Accusations
Allegations of election manipulation and governance failures
The lawsuit alleges USAC manipulated its membership registration system around important dates ahead of the upcoming elections.
It alleges certain voters were disenfranchised in a bid to influence the election outcome.
The complaint also notes USAC's failure to hold elections with the end of Salver and Gruny's terms, and non-compliance with United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) guidelines to form an Athlete Advisory Committee for player representation in governance matters.
Membership threat
USAC's membership at risk amid governance issues
This lawsuit could have a major effect on USAC, which has been in the spotlight since the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a suspension notice during its AGM in July last year.
The ICC had given USAC a year to fix its internal issues or risk losing its membership.
The complaint also cited USOPC's criticism of USAC for becoming too "dysfunctional" and "distracted by infighting" to reform itself.
Director terminations
Legal action follows termination of directors
The lawsuit comes after Nijjar, Whittaker, and Gona were fired on February 15 after a temporary suspension in July 2024.
Their suspension was reportedly due to a letter questioning Pisike and Salver's governance, which was revealed by Cricbuzz.
Following their firing, USAC announced individual director elections to replace Nijjar and Gona.
2024
Milestone year for USA cricket
The year 2024 brought in several milestone wins for the USA cricket team.
In May, the side claimed its first-ever bilateral T20I series win over a Full Member side. USA defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in Houston.
The United States next co-hosted the ICC T20 World Cup along with the West Indies. In a historic achievement, they defeated Pakistan through Super Over at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas.
However, defeats to other sides ended USA's campaign.