The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) faces a tough fight in getting the army to renew the lease for Eden Gardens , with West Bengal’s transport and sports minister Subhash Chakraborty lobbying against the CAB’s re-entry.

The famous cricket ground, like the adjoining Maidan, comes under the Defence Ministry. The 20-year lease had expired on June 15 this year.

Chakraborty had pitted himself openly against the CAB’s current boss, former Kolkata Police chief Prasun Mukherjee, a prot?g? of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The spotlight fell on Eden’s lease ever since the sudden formation of the rival Indian Cricket League backed by the Zee group in April this year. The ICL has roped in a galaxy of current and former players but does not control any premier cricket grounds.

Senior CAB officials like Mukherjee and secretaries Samar Pal and Amitava Banerjee have been saying repeatedly that they do not see Eden slipping out of the CAB’s control.

When asked about the delay a month ago, Pal had said: “Some papers are being examined by the GOC Eastern Command and the Defence Estates Department in Delhi. Both are now in a position to issue the certificate. We are going to receive it within next 14 days.”

But, sources said, the matter is no longer with the army, as the CAB is claiming.

“Sports minister Subhash Chakraborty has written to the defence ministry saying that CAB should not get the lease again since it pays only Rs 22,000 a year despite being one of the richest sports bodies in the country,” a source said. Chakraborty has said Eden should be handed over to his department, which will give an undertaking to use it for many disciplines including cricket.

When contacted, Chakraborty declined to comment. “The time has not come to comment on the issue? One must remember that I have to worry about other things also. You will know every thing when the time is right,” said Chakrabarty.

The source said ICL is also a big factor. The ICL is believed to be the brainchild of Dalmiya, who is very close to the sports minister. The sports minister is also close to Kapil Dev, the former cricket star who is the ICL chairman, the source said.