Eden Gardens is not getting international matches. We are trying to find a suitable candidate. We will take a decision in the next few days,' he said.

'It will be best if Sourav agrees to fight. But even if he is not there, we have his full support. His family is also with us.'

The dissenters, including members of the Ganguly household, have been holding regular meetings at a posh Kolkata club to decide their strategy and zero in on possible candidates for the posts of president, two joint secretaries, a treasurer and four vice presidents at the Annual General Meeting scheduled to be held end July.

But sources requesting anonymity said so far only former cricketer Sujan Mukherjee's name has been finalised for one of the joint secretary's posts if the opposition finally decide to join the fray.

However, a leading light of the opposition camp said: 'Wait till Saturday. We have tapped some big people. We are hopeful.'

A big setback for the opposition is the unavailability of their erstwhile leader and ex Kolkata police chief Prasun Mukherjee - CAB president for 17 months from February 2007 till his defeat to Dalmiya last year - as he has been transferred to Delhi.

The splinter group led by former BCCI joint secretary Goutam Dasgupta that broke ranks with the Dalmiya faction has emboldened the opposition.

'Things are not in proper shape. There is rampant favouritism. Clubs close to the powers-that-be have things going their way during tournaments. The other clubs are made to suffer,' Dasgupta told IANS.

But Dalmiya brushed aside the allegations, saying 'these people left us because they did not get the posts they were eyeing'.

Dalmiya also seemed unperturbed at the latest desertion of this group, which has been in and out of his fold during the past two and a half years.

'When you don't have any powerful opposition, then there is fight in your group. This is the law of nature,' he said.

CAB joint secretary and staunch Dalmiya loyalist Biswarup Dey said the group was on a firm footing as it has fulfilled all its pre-poll promises - elevating Bengal to the elite Ranji division being the foremost of them.