Modi may turn tables on BCCI at IPL meet

A meeting on Saturday between Mr Pawar and Mr Vijay Mallya, chairman of United Breweries and owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore, assumed significance in the face of the Modi-BCCI standoff though they denied it had anything to do with the IPL.

On the face of it, it might appear as if Mr Modi has backed down, but knowing the way he functions it is difficult to see him getting boxed into a corner.

Mr Modi’s decision to chair the meeting is probably a ploy to buy more time, something which the governing council was not inclined to give.

Till Sunday afternoon it had seemed that Mr Modi, if he were to skip the meeting, would be ousted, but then it has emerged that only board president, Mr Shashank Manohar, has the powers to suspend him and not the governing council.

Since Mr Manohar, a staunch rival of Mr Modi, is part of the council, it was assumed that the IPL chairman, who has given himself the powers of a commissioner, would have to go, unceremoniously.

It is a given that a majority of the council are against Mr Modi and his continuance in office following allegations of misuse of power and reports of kickbacks.

By opting to chair the meeting, Mr Modi has come up with a one-point of agenda — of unearthing the charges framed against him — and will, in all likelihood, seek a few days’ time to respond to the notice.

Mr Modi’s agenda, according to a statement circulated to the media on Sunday, “will be a discussion on any complaints received in writing from members of the governing council against the chairman, other members of the council and/or the Board of Control for Cricket in India.”

The title “commissioner” itself is self-styled and there is a move to strip Mr Modi of these powers for the board constitution doesn’t permit such a post.

Also, Mr Modi’s plea for time could be to gain a favourable verdict from the Supreme Court where his ally, Mr A.C. Muthiah, has filed a case against Mr Srinivasan over his “conflict of interest” — as board secretary and Super Kings owner.

This might not hold much water as Mr Srinivasan had taken permission from the then board president, Mr Pawar, to bid for the franchise in 2008, but Mr Muthiah, who is one of Mr Modi’s few remaining supporters (the other being Mr I.S. Bindra), has probably raked up the issue in the Supreme Court to nullify the CSK owner’s growing clout.

For the moment, the standoff seems to have eased but come Monday morning, the governing council meeting is bound to be a stormy one.

Unless a suspension is served by the BCCI earlier, the council will have little option but to give in to Mr Modi’s request.