NEW DELHI, July 22: Deposed India captain Saurav Ganguly has blamed mentor Jagmohan Dalmiya for forcing him out of the team, saying the former world cricket boss “played” with his career, media reports said on Saturday.

In an extraordinary outburst, Ganguly accused Dalmiya of leaking the infamous e-mail from coach Greg Chappell last year that led to India's most successful Test captain losing his place in the team.

Chappell, in the e-mail meant for Indian cricket chiefs, had said Ganguly did not deserve to remain captain since he was “selfish” and undermined the morale of the rest of the team.

“People who leak e-mails and sacrifice players' careers should be heavily punished,” Ganguly wrote in an e-mail to his brother Snehashish from England where he is playing for Northamptonshire.

“There are people in the Cricket Assciation of Bengal (CAB) who are playing with players' careers to suit themselves. They should not be allowed to go scot-free as it takes years of hard work to reach a certain level in sports.”

Ganguly's explosive e-mail was released to the media by his brother ahead of the CAB elections on July 30 where Dalmiya is being challenged on his home turf by Kolkata police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee.

The influential Ganguly family has openly campaigned against Dalmiya, the former International Cricket Council (ICC) president who lost control of the Indian cricket board last year.

A defeat in the CAB elections could end Dalmiya's 36-year career as a cricket administrator that saw him organise two World Cups in the Indian subcontinent in 1987 and 1996 and made the region the financial hub of the sport.

Asked to comment on Ganguly's outburst, Dalmiya mocked: “What, another leaked e-mail? I'm no longer in power in the Indian board, since I have nothing to give, I no longer expect loyalty.”

Dalmiya denied having leaked Chappell's e-mail to the media last September.

“Chappell has already said that he wanted to send me that mail, but it bounced back repeatedly,” said Dalmiya. “So if I did not get it, how could I leak it?”

There is speculation that Ganguly chose to hit out at his mentor to please the current regime in Indian cricket led by political heavyweight Sharad Pawar and force his way back into the team.

Ganguly last played for India in the third and final Test against Pakistan in Karachi in February, but not many believe he can make a comeback.

“One argument is that pleasing Pawar may facilitate Saurav's comeback.

However, that can only be on the strength of solid performances,” said the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper on Saturday.

“Saurav is struggling even in England for Northamptonshire. So, it's debatable whether the e-mail helps. Yet, there's little doubt many will now see Saurav as being ungrateful.”

It is widely known that Dalmiya influenced the selectors to pick Ganguly for his Test debut in 1996 and helped the former captain in his numerous run-ins with the ICC.—AFP