Lawsuit against USA Cricket Alleging Governance Failures

Los Angeles, CA – The latest governance dispute involving USA Cricket has added another chapter to the long-running debate over the future of cricket administration in the United States. As the sport prepares for a historic period of growth, including Major League Cricket expansion and cricket’s return to the Olympic stage at Los Angeles 2028, questions around leadership, transparency, elections, membership rights, and local league participation continue to shape the national conversation.

On the local lens within the filed dispute: the current President of the local Southern California Cricket Association (SCCA), former President of the now-defunct USACA, former interim Chairman of the Board of USA Cricket, former Minor League Cricket USA Governance Chair, and a current Club Director/Board Member of USA Cricket, Atul Rai, has joined the said lawsuit against USA Cricket, alleging misgovernance, election manipulation, and unconstitutional removals of directors.

The lawsuit, filed alongside suspended directors Patricia Whittaker, Kuljit-Singh Nijjar, and Arjun Rao Oona, seeks the removal of USA Cricket board members, including Venu Pisike, Srini Salver, Anj Balusu, David Haubert, Pintoo Shah, and Nadia Oruny.

Atul Rai previously served as President of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) from 2001 to 2003, when USACA was the recognized national governing body for cricket in the USA. In 2017, following an extended review, the International Cricket Council (ICC) withdrew recognition from USACA, citing persistent governance challenges, financial concerns, limited development outcomes, and non-compliance with ICC membership requirements, which ultimately led to its expulsion and dissolution. The collapse of USACA resulted in the formation of USA Cricket as a successor organization intended to reset governance structures and chart a new course for the sport nationally. After USACA’s dissolution, Rai joined USA Cricket in 2018 and was later appointed Interim Chairman in 2022, continuing his involvement in U.S. cricket administration during a period of transition and reform.

Rai’s tenure as USACA President concluded in 2003, fourteen years before the ICC’s 2017 decision. The ICC’s stated reasons concerned USACA’s governance and compliance in the period leading up to that decision. 

“For professional cricket to be sustainable in the long term, domestic cricket needs to be strong! A magnificent structure needs a strong foundation for it to last!” – Atul Rai, USA Cricketers

Rai is currently serving as President of SCCA. SCCA’s bylaws provide that “[a]n Officer may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms in one office. After two terms, there shall be a minimum of two years waiting period before he can rerun for the same Officer position.” The bylaws therefore limit consecutive service in a single office while permitting re-election after the stated waiting period, and do not cap the total number of terms an individual may serve over time. SCCA has not published any determination that an officer’s service has been inconsistent with this provision. Source: SCCA Bylaws (2018 copy).

SCCA, a long-time partner and member to ICC-recognized cricket governing bodies in the USA, and more recently to ACE, was stripped of its membership in USA Cricket in 2023 for non-payment of membership dues. The SCCA and ACE partnership was called a win-win by then-President of SCCA Mihir Gandhi in 2020 (former SCCA President Mihir G. is now the Treasurer of SCCA in 2025). That agreement came to a halt in 2020–21. Since then, the working relationship between local leadership and MiLC has been the subject of disagreement. Concerns raised by MiLC-affiliated participants have included access to fields and time slots, availability of SCCA equipment including crease markers, and the ability of personnel such as groundstaff to work across organizations. SCCA has not publicly responded to these characterizations.

Los Angeles, once a cricket powerhouse, currently doesn’t have any players in the USA Cricket Men’s National Team or emerging talent at the youth level, barring a few. A total of ZERO local SCCA youth made it to the nationals in 2023, held in LA. In this publication’s assessment, these outcomes reflect limited youth pathways within the local league structure, even as committed local administrators work to hold the ecosystem together. Vinay Kulkarni is listed as the USA Cricket Los Angeles Hub Coordinator 2022–2024.

We recently reported that almost all SoCal cricketers and leagues have been deemed ineligible for voting in the upcoming 2025 elections for non-payment of USA Cricket membership dues. In 2023, SCCA President Pradeep Patel requested a discounted rate based on its large player base, but USA Cricket declined and ruled SCCA ineligible for 2023. This decision raises governance questions, including the basis on which one nonprofit sought a discounted membership arrangement from another, and whether the SCCA membership and general body were informed of a material change in status. Reducing or altering the voting participation of a significant segment of the cricket community is a serious matter, particularly when the election framework itself is not widely viewed as a robust or representative mechanism. The longer-term implications of these local decisions remain to be seen, especially given the role this voting cohort had previously played in broader electoral dynamics, unless new coalitions or structural adjustments emerge.

Over the past five years, the SCCA executive committee has implemented field rental fees for T20 matches that have ranged between $600 and $1,000 per game. These fees are set by the executive committee and have generated substantial revenue over time for MiLC-related matches and activities. Separately, Rai served as the inaugural chairman of the MiLC Governing Council and has publicly addressed the relationship between local leagues and Minor League teams:

“I was the chair of the Governing Council during the formation of the Minor League. My understanding is that Minor League teams are to work closely with the local cricket leagues and the players to facilitate a smooth operation with MiLC/ACE providing the funding for infrastructure development and other major expenses. Unfortunately, that has not been the case, and there is a disconnect between the local leagues and Minor League teams. The team owners have been heavily burdened financially and operationally!” – Atul Rai, USA Cricketers Interview

Case Overview

Court & Venue: Boulder County District Court, Colorado

Filing Date & ID: March 3, 2025; Filing ID: E3BB5C7EDB8CB

Parties Involved: Plaintiffs: BK Atul Rai, Patricia Whittaker, Kuljit-Singh Nijjar, and Arjun Rao Oona – filing in both their individual capacities and derivatively on behalf of USA Cricket, Inc. (a Colorado nonprofit corporation). Defendants: USA Cricket directors Venu Pisike, Anj Balusu, David Haubert, Pintoo Shah, Nadia Oruny, and Srini Salver, plus USA Cricket, Inc.

The following summarizes allegations made by the plaintiffs in their court filing. Allegations are not findings of fact, and the defendants have not been adjudicated liable on any claim described below.

Key Claims and Allegations

Breach of Fiduciary and Statutory Duties: Plaintiffs allege that the defendant directors abused their positions by failing to act in the best interests of USA Cricket. They claim the directors violated both common law fiduciary duties and statutory duties under the Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act by engaging in actions that harmed the organization’s mission.

Judicial Removal of Directors: Plaintiffs seek the removal of the defendant directors, arguing that their conduct — including alleged manipulation of the membership registration system, improper removal of directors, and conflict of interest (especially involving Defendant Pisike) — has compromised USA Cricket’s governance. They contend that these actions jeopardize USA Cricket’s efforts to qualify as the National Governing Body for cricket in the U.S. and to maintain membership in the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Declaratory Judgment: The complaint asks the court to declare that the removal of certain directors (such as Patricia Whittaker, Nijjar, and Oona) was done in violation of USA Cricket’s Constitution and Colorado law, rendering those removals null and void.

Background and Context

Purpose of USA Cricket: USA Cricket was established in 2017 with the goal of positioning itself as the candidate for the National Governing Body (NGB) for cricket in the United States — a role that became especially significant after cricket was added to the LA 2028 Olympic Games program.

Governance Concerns: The organization has been under scrutiny by both the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the ICC for failing to meet the rigorous governance standards required for NGB certification. Plaintiffs argue that the defendant directors’ actions — including alleged unauthorized closures of membership registration portals, retroactive voiding of memberships, and bypassing proper removal procedures — have damaged USA Cricket’s standing and its ability to attain NGB certification.

Conflict of Interest: Plaintiffs raise a significant concern over Defendant Pisike’s conduct. They allege that he filed complaints against other directors and managed board processes without recusal, and that he used his personal resources to record meetings and suppress dissent, thereby deepening the governance crisis. These are allegations in the complaint and have not been adjudicated.

Relief Sought

Removal of Defendant Directors: Plaintiffs request that the court order the immediate removal of the defendant directors and bar them from holding any office within USA Cricket for five years.

Monetary Damages and Injunctive Relief: They seek damages (to be determined at trial) along with injunctive and declaratory relief to correct the governance issues and restore USA Cricket’s path to certification as an NGB.

Trial by Jury: The complaint concludes with a demand for a trial by jury on all issues that can be tried by jury.

This summary outlines the plaintiffs’ claims that mismanagement and conflicts of interest among USA Cricket’s directors have jeopardized the organization’s mission and legal standing, and it sets out the relief they seek to remedy these issues.