Reduced to being spectators in the last three months with the cricket board busy sorting out the Indian Premier League (IPL) mess that followed Lalit Modi’s suspension, the franchise owners finally got an opportunity to put forth their views on Thursday.
In their first meeting with the BCCI’s top brass without the suspended IPL chairman in Mumbai, the franchisees demanded, among other things, that the IPL increase the salary cap available to them in the players’ auction later this year, and that the current format of the tournament is not tinkered with.
With the addition of two new teams — Pune and Kochi — from the next season, the 60-game event will become a 94-game one.
The board had initially planned to reduce the number of games by splitting the teams into two groups, with a total of 68 matches. But most of the franchisees say they want the existing format of home and away games to be retained.
“The franchisees are of the view that the current format should be retained, with one home game and one away,” Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya said after the meeting, which was attended by BCCI president, Mr Shashank Manohar and IPL interim chief Chirayu Amin.
“There were suggestions to restrict the schedule to 10 matches (per franchise). But our view is that we would like the earlier format to continue... Our revenues will take a hit if the number of games are decreased,” he added.
The owners also suggested that all players should go into the auction pool (no player is retained), and that the salary cap be raised to $9 million from $7 million.
Showing posts with label Lalit Modi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lalit Modi. Show all posts
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Lalit Modi replies to his second show-cause notice
Suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has sent his reply to the second showcause notice served on him, to the BCCI by e-mail.
“Yes he has sent it last night,” informed Modi’s Legal Counsel Mehmood Abdi today.
Mr. Abdi is scheduled to go to the BCCI headquarters here today to handover the hard copy of the reply which is expected to be just over 24 pages.
The show-cause notice was pertaining to an e-mail sent to the BCCI by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chairman Giles Clarke in which he had alleged that Modi tried to damage the existing structure of international and English cricket.
Mr. Modi yesterday filed defamation notice on Clarke, mentioning that the ECB boss has accused the suspended IPL Chief of seeking to float a rebel league in England, violating International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations.
Mr. Modi was also served a third show-cause notice yesterday by the BCCI over theatrical rights and 150-second commercial slot in between balls during the telecast of IPL-3.
Mr. Modi has already replied to the first show-cause notice served on him with a staggering 15,000-page response.
The first show-cause notice alleged that Mr. Modi had indulged in murky deals and bid-rigging in IPL.
“Yes he has sent it last night,” informed Modi’s Legal Counsel Mehmood Abdi today.
Mr. Abdi is scheduled to go to the BCCI headquarters here today to handover the hard copy of the reply which is expected to be just over 24 pages.
The show-cause notice was pertaining to an e-mail sent to the BCCI by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chairman Giles Clarke in which he had alleged that Modi tried to damage the existing structure of international and English cricket.
Mr. Modi yesterday filed defamation notice on Clarke, mentioning that the ECB boss has accused the suspended IPL Chief of seeking to float a rebel league in England, violating International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations.
Mr. Modi was also served a third show-cause notice yesterday by the BCCI over theatrical rights and 150-second commercial slot in between balls during the telecast of IPL-3.
Mr. Modi has already replied to the first show-cause notice served on him with a staggering 15,000-page response.
The first show-cause notice alleged that Mr. Modi had indulged in murky deals and bid-rigging in IPL.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Modi seeks deadline extension
Suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi is expected to seek an extension of the deadline given to him by the cricket board to file his replies to the BCCI chargesheet.
"He has asked for some documents from the BCCI to file his replies but has not got them yet. So he is likely to seek an extension today from the BCCI pending the receipt of the said documents," said sources close to him.
With the deadline for filing the reply ending today, it is not known whether BCCI will accede to his requests if and when it is received.
Modi was suspended on April 26, soon after the conclusion of the IPL final in Navi Mumbai by BCCI which sent him a showcause notice asking him to reply to a slew of charges relating to the conduct of the high-profile Twenty20 league.
Modi was alleged to have indulged in murky financial deals without the knowledge of the IPL Governing Council, bid-rigging and of behavioural pattern which was not acceptable.
"He has asked for some documents from the BCCI to file his replies but has not got them yet. So he is likely to seek an extension today from the BCCI pending the receipt of the said documents," said sources close to him.
With the deadline for filing the reply ending today, it is not known whether BCCI will accede to his requests if and when it is received.
Modi was suspended on April 26, soon after the conclusion of the IPL final in Navi Mumbai by BCCI which sent him a showcause notice asking him to reply to a slew of charges relating to the conduct of the high-profile Twenty20 league.
Modi was alleged to have indulged in murky financial deals without the knowledge of the IPL Governing Council, bid-rigging and of behavioural pattern which was not acceptable.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Amin new chief of IPL
Mr Lalit Modi, the face of the IPL over the last three years, will cease to remain so following his suspension on Sunday night and the elevation of board vice-president Mr Chirayu Amin as interim chairman of the league.
The BCCI president, Mr Shashank Manohar, waited for the conclusion of IPL-3 before suspending him and issuing him a show-cause notice.
“While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of IPL Season 3, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr Modi, chairman IPL and vice-president BCCI, have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself,” Mr Manohar said.
“The charges basically are with regard to the initial bids of Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab. And the second allegation is in regard to the broadcasting deal,” Mr Manohar said. “The third allegation is with regard to the bid-rigging of the two new franchisees. The fourth allegation is with regard to the Internet rights. The fifth is with regard to the behavioural pattern of Modi,” Mr Manohar said.
Meanwhile, Mr Modi put up a brave face maintaining that he was still chairman of the T20 league.
The BCCI president, Mr Shashank Manohar, waited for the conclusion of IPL-3 before suspending him and issuing him a show-cause notice.
“While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of IPL Season 3, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr Modi, chairman IPL and vice-president BCCI, have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself,” Mr Manohar said.
“The charges basically are with regard to the initial bids of Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab. And the second allegation is in regard to the broadcasting deal,” Mr Manohar said. “The third allegation is with regard to the bid-rigging of the two new franchisees. The fourth allegation is with regard to the Internet rights. The fifth is with regard to the behavioural pattern of Modi,” Mr Manohar said.
Meanwhile, Mr Modi put up a brave face maintaining that he was still chairman of the T20 league.
Monday, April 26, 2010
IPL Governing Council meeting starts
The crucial IPL Governing Council meeting began here on Monday, barely hours after the BCCI suspended Lalit Modi as the Chairman and Commissioner of the high-profile Twenty20 event.
BCCI president Shashank Manohar, vice-President Arun Jaitley, secretary N Srinivasan, media and finance committee chairman Rajiv Shukla and IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah were among the members of the council present at the Board headquarters here.
Mr. Modi was to chair the meeting before he was suspended and issued a show cause notice for alleged financial irregularities late last night. Mr. Modi has been asked to explain within 15 days why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for what the BCCI described as ‘individual misdemeanors’
“While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of IPL Season 3, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanors of Mr Lalit K Modi, Chairman IPL and Vice President BCCI have brought a bad name to the administration of Cricket and the game itself,” Mr. Manohar said in a press release which announced Mr. Modi’s suspension from the Board, IPL, the Working Committee and any other committee.
Due to this, Mr. Modi cannot participate in today’s meeting that will go into the alleged financial wrong-doings in the IPL and how to set right things.
The IPL Governing Council also includes Punjab Cricket Association chief I S Bindra, BCCI treasurer M P Pandove, vice-President Chirayu Amin, joint secretary Sanjay Jagdale, J&K Cricket Association chief Farooq Abdullah and former India captains Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
BCCI president Shashank Manohar, vice-President Arun Jaitley, secretary N Srinivasan, media and finance committee chairman Rajiv Shukla and IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah were among the members of the council present at the Board headquarters here.
Mr. Modi was to chair the meeting before he was suspended and issued a show cause notice for alleged financial irregularities late last night. Mr. Modi has been asked to explain within 15 days why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for what the BCCI described as ‘individual misdemeanors’
“While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of IPL Season 3, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanors of Mr Lalit K Modi, Chairman IPL and Vice President BCCI have brought a bad name to the administration of Cricket and the game itself,” Mr. Manohar said in a press release which announced Mr. Modi’s suspension from the Board, IPL, the Working Committee and any other committee.
Due to this, Mr. Modi cannot participate in today’s meeting that will go into the alleged financial wrong-doings in the IPL and how to set right things.
The IPL Governing Council also includes Punjab Cricket Association chief I S Bindra, BCCI treasurer M P Pandove, vice-President Chirayu Amin, joint secretary Sanjay Jagdale, J&K Cricket Association chief Farooq Abdullah and former India captains Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Final after the final: Modi suspended
The IPL commissioner, Mr Lalit Modi, was suspended minutes after the award presentation ceremony of IPL-3 here past midnight on Sunday.
He was issued a show-cause notice capping two weeks of raging controversy over financial wrongdoings in the hugely popular tournament.
Mr Modi was combative to the last, saying at his speech at the presentation ceremony that the IPL was clean, that all decisions were cleared by the governing council and that he took full responsibility for all the decisions.
“In the last few days, we have had a lot of innuendoes, and half truths and motivated leaks (about IPL). I want to tell you that all decisions have been taken by the Governing Council and approved by the general body,” Mr Modi said at the ceremony.
“I reassure you that if there is any flouting of rules and any irregularities I shall take full responsibility. On this occasion, I assure milllions of passionate fans of the league and the game across the globe that the IPL is clean and transparent.”
Earlier, Mr Modi had decided to take the bull by the horns. Having all along opposed Monday’s emergent meeting of the IPL council — called essentially to terminate his tenure as its chairman — Mr Modi, in a dramatic turnaround, said he would chair the meeting scheduled to be held here at 10 am on Monday.
On Sunday, the top brass of the BCCI met to finalise their approach for the meeting. According to sources, Mr Srinivasan shared a 16-page-long “chargesheet” with president Shahshank Manohar, IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah and chief administrative officer Prof. Ratnakar Shetty that lists in great detail all the allegations against Mr Modi.
“Mr Srinivasan has ensured that no important matter escapes the IPL meeting. He’s listed every contentious decision taken by Modi in pointwise manner in his report. That doesn’t give him (Modi) much room to manevoure if he shows up tomorrow,” a board official told this newspaper.
When Mr Srinivasan first circulated a notice for the meeting, Mr Modi called it illegal, saying as chairman only he had the powers to do so and dared the council to go ahead.
A meeting on Saturday between Mr Pawar and Mr Vijay Mallya, chairman of United Breweries and owner of Royal Challenger Bangalore, assumed significance in the face of the Modi-BCCI standoff though they denied it had anything to do with the IPL.
He was issued a show-cause notice capping two weeks of raging controversy over financial wrongdoings in the hugely popular tournament.
Mr Modi was combative to the last, saying at his speech at the presentation ceremony that the IPL was clean, that all decisions were cleared by the governing council and that he took full responsibility for all the decisions.
“In the last few days, we have had a lot of innuendoes, and half truths and motivated leaks (about IPL). I want to tell you that all decisions have been taken by the Governing Council and approved by the general body,” Mr Modi said at the ceremony.
“I reassure you that if there is any flouting of rules and any irregularities I shall take full responsibility. On this occasion, I assure milllions of passionate fans of the league and the game across the globe that the IPL is clean and transparent.”
Earlier, Mr Modi had decided to take the bull by the horns. Having all along opposed Monday’s emergent meeting of the IPL council — called essentially to terminate his tenure as its chairman — Mr Modi, in a dramatic turnaround, said he would chair the meeting scheduled to be held here at 10 am on Monday.
On Sunday, the top brass of the BCCI met to finalise their approach for the meeting. According to sources, Mr Srinivasan shared a 16-page-long “chargesheet” with president Shahshank Manohar, IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah and chief administrative officer Prof. Ratnakar Shetty that lists in great detail all the allegations against Mr Modi.
“Mr Srinivasan has ensured that no important matter escapes the IPL meeting. He’s listed every contentious decision taken by Modi in pointwise manner in his report. That doesn’t give him (Modi) much room to manevoure if he shows up tomorrow,” a board official told this newspaper.
When Mr Srinivasan first circulated a notice for the meeting, Mr Modi called it illegal, saying as chairman only he had the powers to do so and dared the council to go ahead.
A meeting on Saturday between Mr Pawar and Mr Vijay Mallya, chairman of United Breweries and owner of Royal Challenger Bangalore, assumed significance in the face of the Modi-BCCI standoff though they denied it had anything to do with the IPL.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Modi to attend IPL council meet
Lalit Modi, chairman and commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL), will attend Monday's Governing Council (GC) meeting with a single-point agenda of hearing charges against him and any other GC member, Modi's office said on Sunday afternoon.
"I will attend and chair the meeting of the Governing Council as chairman and commissioner. I have issued the agenda to the Governing Council," Modi tweeted.
Modi's tweet has put an end to the intense speculation on whether he would attend the meeting which is expected to press for his ouster.
Modi, who has been in the eye of a storm for alleged financial irregularities, had yesterday refused to resign and had even threatened to expose some people who tried to bring the game into disrepute.
The BCCI, on its part, had tried to persuade Modi to step down voluntarily but without success. Modi's presence would mean that he would chair the meeting by virtue of being the Commissioner and Chairman.
The BCCI top brass, which has drawn up a strategy to oust him after a series of meetings in the last two days, may have to now redraw its strategy in the wake of the new development.
Assuming that Modi would not attend the meeting, the BCCI had on Sunday sent a release which stated that the Governing Council meeting would start at 10 am and the press conference would be held at 12 pm.
"I will attend and chair the meeting of the Governing Council as chairman and commissioner. I have issued the agenda to the Governing Council," Modi tweeted.
Modi's tweet has put an end to the intense speculation on whether he would attend the meeting which is expected to press for his ouster.
Modi, who has been in the eye of a storm for alleged financial irregularities, had yesterday refused to resign and had even threatened to expose some people who tried to bring the game into disrepute.
The BCCI, on its part, had tried to persuade Modi to step down voluntarily but without success. Modi's presence would mean that he would chair the meeting by virtue of being the Commissioner and Chairman.
The BCCI top brass, which has drawn up a strategy to oust him after a series of meetings in the last two days, may have to now redraw its strategy in the wake of the new development.
Assuming that Modi would not attend the meeting, the BCCI had on Sunday sent a release which stated that the Governing Council meeting would start at 10 am and the press conference would be held at 12 pm.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
BCCI plans panel to run IPL
Under fire from all quarters in the wake of Mr Lalit Modi’s alleged financial irregularities in the running of the Indian Premier League, the BCCI is planning to form a small sub-committee to run the Twenty20 league in future, according to sources.
“The idea is to carve out a smaller committee out of the present IPL Governing Council and include three or four persons to run the show instead of making it a one-man show like it was till present,” the sources said.
The names mentioned in the BCCI corridors are those of Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr Niranjan Shah, Mr Ravi Shastri and Mr Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.
All of them are members of IPL Governing Council headed by Mr Modi whose days seem to be numbered.
There are clear indications that Mr Modi may step down after Sunday's IPL final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
A meeting of the IPL Governing Council has been convened on April 26 and Mr Modi, who has tried unsuccessfully to postpone it by a few days, is expected to put in his papers by then, the sources indicated.
Meanwhile, there is speculation that Mr Shastri could be the head of the new sub committee to run the IPL but for it to happen the former India captain would have to step down from the chairmanship of National Cricket Academy, the sources said.
“The idea is to carve out a smaller committee out of the present IPL Governing Council and include three or four persons to run the show instead of making it a one-man show like it was till present,” the sources said.
The names mentioned in the BCCI corridors are those of Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr Niranjan Shah, Mr Ravi Shastri and Mr Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.
All of them are members of IPL Governing Council headed by Mr Modi whose days seem to be numbered.
There are clear indications that Mr Modi may step down after Sunday's IPL final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
A meeting of the IPL Governing Council has been convened on April 26 and Mr Modi, who has tried unsuccessfully to postpone it by a few days, is expected to put in his papers by then, the sources indicated.
Meanwhile, there is speculation that Mr Shastri could be the head of the new sub committee to run the IPL but for it to happen the former India captain would have to step down from the chairmanship of National Cricket Academy, the sources said.
Friday, April 23, 2010
BCCI firm on its stand, Modi may move court
With Mr Lalit Modi’s future as the IPL’s top man effectively hinging on the league’s governing council meeting in Mumbai on April 26, the BCCI is doing all it can to keep the road leading up to it as controversy-free as possible.
After Mr Modi sent an email to the board president, Mr Shashank Manohar, questioning the legality of Monday’s meeting, calling it unauthorised, the latter made it clear that he would go ahead with the meeting as per schedule.
“It is his viewpoint, everybody is entitled to their viewpoint,” Mr Manohar said, rebutting the IPL commissioner’s contention that as chairman of the governing council only Mr Modi had the authority to summon members.
The IPL chief though, isn’t backing down, and is considering moving the Bombay High Court. Senior lawyers Mr Ram Jethmalani and Mr Harish Salve are expected to appear for Mr Modi to seek an injunction against the April 26 meet.
The meeting had been convened by the BCCI secretary and Chennai Super Kings owner, Mr N. Srinivasan after Mr Modi’s disclosure of the Kochi franchise shareholding pattern snowballed into a scandal. The plan is to ask Mr Modi to resign at the meeting but Mr Modi claimed that as Mr Srinivasan was himself a team owner he was not authorised to convene the meeting.
Mr Manohar, however, sought to clarify that there was no conflict of interest as far as Mr Srinivasan was concerned. “It is not a question of owner. He (Srinivasan) is not calling the meeting as an owner of the team, and
in the board’s constitution the secretary is the convenor of all meetings. He enjoys full rights,” Mr Manohar said.
After Mr Modi sent an email to the board president, Mr Shashank Manohar, questioning the legality of Monday’s meeting, calling it unauthorised, the latter made it clear that he would go ahead with the meeting as per schedule.
“It is his viewpoint, everybody is entitled to their viewpoint,” Mr Manohar said, rebutting the IPL commissioner’s contention that as chairman of the governing council only Mr Modi had the authority to summon members.
The IPL chief though, isn’t backing down, and is considering moving the Bombay High Court. Senior lawyers Mr Ram Jethmalani and Mr Harish Salve are expected to appear for Mr Modi to seek an injunction against the April 26 meet.
The meeting had been convened by the BCCI secretary and Chennai Super Kings owner, Mr N. Srinivasan after Mr Modi’s disclosure of the Kochi franchise shareholding pattern snowballed into a scandal. The plan is to ask Mr Modi to resign at the meeting but Mr Modi claimed that as Mr Srinivasan was himself a team owner he was not authorised to convene the meeting.
Mr Manohar, however, sought to clarify that there was no conflict of interest as far as Mr Srinivasan was concerned. “It is not a question of owner. He (Srinivasan) is not calling the meeting as an owner of the team, and
in the board’s constitution the secretary is the convenor of all meetings. He enjoys full rights,” Mr Manohar said.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Modi may be sacked
With several Central agencies vying to haul the IPL commissioner, Mr Lalit Modi, over the coals in the controversy regarding the Indian Premier League, it could possibly be the end of his innings in cricket: his wings are likely to be clipped by the BCCI panel. Sources said the BCCI president, Mr Shashank Manohar, could be the man to replace Mr Modi as the head of the IPL.
Mr Modi may be asked to step down at a meeting of the IPL governing council likely on April 26. It has been learnt that if he refuses to step down, the BCCI will convene an emergency AGM and pass a resolution to oust the IPL commissioner. Mr Modi has reportedly not been invited for that meeting.
Meanwhile, apart from the income-tax department, officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) will question Mr Modi, sources said. The move comes in the wake of reported allegations that a few IPL officials might be engaged in betting on international websites.
Mr Modi, who had been to Dubai to meet the Kochi franchise consortium chairman, Mr Harshad Mehta, on Sunday, was to meet I-T officials at his Worli office in Mumbai on Monday.
Mr Modi may be asked to step down at a meeting of the IPL governing council likely on April 26. It has been learnt that if he refuses to step down, the BCCI will convene an emergency AGM and pass a resolution to oust the IPL commissioner. Mr Modi has reportedly not been invited for that meeting.
Meanwhile, apart from the income-tax department, officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) will question Mr Modi, sources said. The move comes in the wake of reported allegations that a few IPL officials might be engaged in betting on international websites.
Mr Modi, who had been to Dubai to meet the Kochi franchise consortium chairman, Mr Harshad Mehta, on Sunday, was to meet I-T officials at his Worli office in Mumbai on Monday.
Friday, April 16, 2010
I-T officials raid IPL office, grill Modi
Indian Premier League commissioner Mr Lalit Modi was quizzed by a team of Income Tax officials, who were seeking details of the funds raised by different franchisees of the IPL on Thursday.
With this latest development, which is seen as a fall-out of the battle between Mr Modi and the minister of state for external affairs, Mr Shashi Tharoor, the mentor of the Kochi franchise, sources said the BCCI has decided to clip Mr Modi’s wings and appoint BCCI president as the co-chairman of the IPL.
Earlier during the day, a team of I-T officials had “visited” four offices of the Indian Premiere League at different places in Mumbai including its headquarters at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s office.
I-T officials were quick to dismiss these “visits” as raids and said that they were just “collecting and checking” documents from the IPL, to check the records of the franchises and the organisation itself. However, the fact that the I-T officials also took their own forensics team to check the documents, indicated that the I-T department meant business. The forensic team was taken to check whether any of the documents were fudged or if the accounts genuine.
While one of the offices was the BCCI headquarters, Mr Modi’s office at Four Seasons Hotel and another unidentified place in Bandra and Mahalaxmi were among other places visited by I-T officials.
The “visits” were conducted under Section 131 of the I-T Act. At the time of going to press, one of the I-T teams was still questioning Mr Modi in his office. Sources in the I-T department said that Thursday’s events were just a precursor and the documents would be studied and passed on to the relevant departments.
“The Enforcement Directorate and Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) will also be involved if it is suspected that money invested here was done through fraudulent means like money laundering, hawala transactions or simply converting black money into white.”
Senior I-T officials refused to comment on the developments or whether the “visits” and “inquiries” had anything to do with the full-blown fight between Mr Modi and Mr Tharoor.
In a related development, a senior NCP leader, on condition of anonymity, dismissed the speculation that the NCP chief, Mr Sharad Pawar, has anything to do with the issue. He alleged that “Tharoor’s aides” are resorting to such things because they want to score some brownie points within the Congress by speaking against the NCP and Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi.
He said who met whom and others are not core issues. “The core issue is — for what reason was the sweat equity allotted to Sunanda Pushkar and others? There are others also whose names have come to the fore. For what they are getting it?” he said.
The IPL Kochi franchise spokesperson, Mr Satyajit Gaekwad, said “We were told that we won’t be allowed to work. The Adani Group and Mr Narendra Modi had a stake in the Ahmedabad IPL bid. After we won the bid, our investors spoke to Mr Pawar and asked him which city to choose. He said, ‘You can take your pick’ so we decided to take Kochi.”
With this latest development, which is seen as a fall-out of the battle between Mr Modi and the minister of state for external affairs, Mr Shashi Tharoor, the mentor of the Kochi franchise, sources said the BCCI has decided to clip Mr Modi’s wings and appoint BCCI president as the co-chairman of the IPL.
Earlier during the day, a team of I-T officials had “visited” four offices of the Indian Premiere League at different places in Mumbai including its headquarters at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s office.
I-T officials were quick to dismiss these “visits” as raids and said that they were just “collecting and checking” documents from the IPL, to check the records of the franchises and the organisation itself. However, the fact that the I-T officials also took their own forensics team to check the documents, indicated that the I-T department meant business. The forensic team was taken to check whether any of the documents were fudged or if the accounts genuine.
While one of the offices was the BCCI headquarters, Mr Modi’s office at Four Seasons Hotel and another unidentified place in Bandra and Mahalaxmi were among other places visited by I-T officials.
The “visits” were conducted under Section 131 of the I-T Act. At the time of going to press, one of the I-T teams was still questioning Mr Modi in his office. Sources in the I-T department said that Thursday’s events were just a precursor and the documents would be studied and passed on to the relevant departments.
“The Enforcement Directorate and Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) will also be involved if it is suspected that money invested here was done through fraudulent means like money laundering, hawala transactions or simply converting black money into white.”
Senior I-T officials refused to comment on the developments or whether the “visits” and “inquiries” had anything to do with the full-blown fight between Mr Modi and Mr Tharoor.
In a related development, a senior NCP leader, on condition of anonymity, dismissed the speculation that the NCP chief, Mr Sharad Pawar, has anything to do with the issue. He alleged that “Tharoor’s aides” are resorting to such things because they want to score some brownie points within the Congress by speaking against the NCP and Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi.
He said who met whom and others are not core issues. “The core issue is — for what reason was the sweat equity allotted to Sunanda Pushkar and others? There are others also whose names have come to the fore. For what they are getting it?” he said.
The IPL Kochi franchise spokesperson, Mr Satyajit Gaekwad, said “We were told that we won’t be allowed to work. The Adani Group and Mr Narendra Modi had a stake in the Ahmedabad IPL bid. After we won the bid, our investors spoke to Mr Pawar and asked him which city to choose. He said, ‘You can take your pick’ so we decided to take Kochi.”
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Pune, Kochi named new IPL teams
Sahara bagged Pune while little known Rendezvous Sports World Limited clinched Kochi as the Indian Premier League today unveiled two new teams joining the cash-awash Twenty20 league.
IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi said Sahara Adventure Sports Group made an identical USD 370 million bid for three cities —— Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Pune.
“They made the highest bid for all three cities and were asked to chose one of those cities. So Pune will be the home ground of their team,” Mr. Modi told reporters.
Rendezvous Sports World Limited made the second highest bid today but their offer of USD 333.33 million was enough to land the Kochi franchise, Mr. Modi said.
“In all, five groups qualified for the bid and I hope they make good business,” Mr. Modi said.
He also made it clear that there were no plans to have a second IPL abroad.
“I’m always misquoted by the media. This is Indian Premier League and there is no plan to have a second IPL abroad.
“We also have no plans to expand further immediately. In fact I don’t foresee an expansion in many many years to come but then you never know,” he added.
Apart from the two successful bidders, other groups which took part in the bidding included Adani Groups and VC Digital Solution (Videocon).
IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi said Sahara Adventure Sports Group made an identical USD 370 million bid for three cities —— Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Pune.
“They made the highest bid for all three cities and were asked to chose one of those cities. So Pune will be the home ground of their team,” Mr. Modi told reporters.
Rendezvous Sports World Limited made the second highest bid today but their offer of USD 333.33 million was enough to land the Kochi franchise, Mr. Modi said.
“In all, five groups qualified for the bid and I hope they make good business,” Mr. Modi said.
He also made it clear that there were no plans to have a second IPL abroad.
“I’m always misquoted by the media. This is Indian Premier League and there is no plan to have a second IPL abroad.
“We also have no plans to expand further immediately. In fact I don’t foresee an expansion in many many years to come but then you never know,” he added.
Apart from the two successful bidders, other groups which took part in the bidding included Adani Groups and VC Digital Solution (Videocon).
Friday, March 12, 2010
IPL: News channels end boycott
News broadcasters on Friday ended their boycott of the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after an agreement with the cash-rich Indian league authorities.
“The news broadcasters end boycott of IPL coverage. Let the show begin,” editor-in-chief of IBN network Rajdeep Sardesai said on his Twitter account.
The development came hours before the IPL was scheduled to begin with a match between 2009 champions Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders in Navi Mumbai on Friday night.
As per the new guidelines issued by the IPL, “there has to be a minimum of a 10-minute delay from the live telecast by the official broadcaster before telecast of any match footage by a news broadcaster.”
However, the “news broadcasters will be allowed to telecast an exceptional event (newsworthy event of an exceptional nature) occurring during the course of a match with a minimum of a five-minute delay from the conclusion of the live telecast of such exceptional event”.
The 15-point guidelines includes a clause that news and current affairs broadcasters will be allowed a maximum of 5.5 minutes of ‘fresh footage’ per match in a day, “including not more than 4.5 minutes of deferred live coverage of match play and not more than 1.5 minutes of deferred in-stadium entertainment footage”.
Earlier, the main bone of contention was a diktat from the IPL authorities that non-rights broadcasters could air the footages only half an hour after a match. The maximum fresh footage that could be used by them was another area of conflict which has also now been resolved.
The news channels are also permitted to use an aggregate of two minutes of footage per half an hour of broadcast “subject to not more than 5.5 minutes of fresh footage per match”.
The pact also says a maximum of two repeats of footage initially broadcast by the news broadcaster would be permitted in each hour of broadcast.
“It’s good that we have come to an understanding with the news channels. It’s a nice way to start the tournament. I find the channels are already full of news concerning IPL,” the league’s vice chairman Niranjan Shah told IANS.
The news broadcasters had announced a boycott of the IPL, describing some of the guidelines for the third edition “arbitrary”.
“The news broadcasters end boycott of IPL coverage. Let the show begin,” editor-in-chief of IBN network Rajdeep Sardesai said on his Twitter account.
The development came hours before the IPL was scheduled to begin with a match between 2009 champions Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders in Navi Mumbai on Friday night.
As per the new guidelines issued by the IPL, “there has to be a minimum of a 10-minute delay from the live telecast by the official broadcaster before telecast of any match footage by a news broadcaster.”
However, the “news broadcasters will be allowed to telecast an exceptional event (newsworthy event of an exceptional nature) occurring during the course of a match with a minimum of a five-minute delay from the conclusion of the live telecast of such exceptional event”.
The 15-point guidelines includes a clause that news and current affairs broadcasters will be allowed a maximum of 5.5 minutes of ‘fresh footage’ per match in a day, “including not more than 4.5 minutes of deferred live coverage of match play and not more than 1.5 minutes of deferred in-stadium entertainment footage”.
Earlier, the main bone of contention was a diktat from the IPL authorities that non-rights broadcasters could air the footages only half an hour after a match. The maximum fresh footage that could be used by them was another area of conflict which has also now been resolved.
The news channels are also permitted to use an aggregate of two minutes of footage per half an hour of broadcast “subject to not more than 5.5 minutes of fresh footage per match”.
The pact also says a maximum of two repeats of footage initially broadcast by the news broadcaster would be permitted in each hour of broadcast.
“It’s good that we have come to an understanding with the news channels. It’s a nice way to start the tournament. I find the channels are already full of news concerning IPL,” the league’s vice chairman Niranjan Shah told IANS.
The news broadcasters had announced a boycott of the IPL, describing some of the guidelines for the third edition “arbitrary”.
Monday, March 8, 2010
IPL helps local players: Dhoni
The security at the team hotel was predictably tight but Mahendra Singh Dhoni appeared relaxed and confident here on Monday, ahead of Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) battles in season III of the Indian Premier League.
Dhoni said, “We reached the final and the semifinal in the first two editions. We can win the title but need to play to our potential.
“But then, given the kind of format Twenty20 cricket is, you cannot guarantee success. Things can change very quickly. You can have good days and the not so good ones.”
He noticed the security around him too. “I think the security has been great. We are all feeling comfortable.”
Primary strength
The dashing wicket-keeper batsman maintained batting was CSK's primary strength. “We are basically a strong batting unit. We have a useful bowling attack too.
“We have players who can step in to bowl if our main bowlers go for runs. I think, overall, we have a balanced side,” said Dhoni.
Dhoni conceded CSK would miss the injured Andrew Flintoff who would take no part in this edition. He was not sure either about Jacob Oram's time-frame for recovery from yet another fitness concern.
“We have Justin Kemp this year though. He can be a destructive batsman and can chip in with the ball.”
He, however, expected the senior bowlers to rise to the occasion. “Someone like Muttiah Muralitharan is still a very good bowler. He is also a great character, adds a lot to the dressing room.”
The CSK skipper acknowledged IPL could be a gruelling event but added the upcoming edition would be less tiring than the competition in South Africa.
Home base
“Twenty20 cricket is a demanding format, physically and mentally. There is also a lot of travelling involved. But at least, we would have a base this time.
“We did not have that in South Africa. The competition would also help us to prepare well for the Twenty20 World Cup.”
Dhoni felt the domestic player had gained much from the IPL. “I think coach Fleming and cricketers such as Michael Hussey have been good mentors. A lot of Indian cricketers have benefited.
“S. Badrinath, M.S. Gony and M. Vijay have gone on to play for India. Suresh Raina has emerged a much better cricketer. So, the IPL really helps the emerging players.”
This is precisely the reason why Dhoni firmly believes only four foreign cricketers should figure in the eleven. “It is the Indian Premier League, right? I think, the Indian cricketers should gain the most from it.”
Fleming's take
Coach Stephen Fleming said, “While the international players enable a side win a game or two, it is the strength of the domestic players that helps a team win the title. I think a lot of good local talent has come through in Tamil Nadu.
“This is a region that has a rich history in the game and is extremely proud of its cricket. There is a very good development system for young cricketers here. All said, local players are the key.”
Talking about practice sessions, he said, “There would be more quality than quantity. We will strive to be extremely focussed and intense.”
Dhoni said, “We reached the final and the semifinal in the first two editions. We can win the title but need to play to our potential.
“But then, given the kind of format Twenty20 cricket is, you cannot guarantee success. Things can change very quickly. You can have good days and the not so good ones.”
He noticed the security around him too. “I think the security has been great. We are all feeling comfortable.”
Primary strength
The dashing wicket-keeper batsman maintained batting was CSK's primary strength. “We are basically a strong batting unit. We have a useful bowling attack too.
“We have players who can step in to bowl if our main bowlers go for runs. I think, overall, we have a balanced side,” said Dhoni.
Dhoni conceded CSK would miss the injured Andrew Flintoff who would take no part in this edition. He was not sure either about Jacob Oram's time-frame for recovery from yet another fitness concern.
“We have Justin Kemp this year though. He can be a destructive batsman and can chip in with the ball.”
He, however, expected the senior bowlers to rise to the occasion. “Someone like Muttiah Muralitharan is still a very good bowler. He is also a great character, adds a lot to the dressing room.”
The CSK skipper acknowledged IPL could be a gruelling event but added the upcoming edition would be less tiring than the competition in South Africa.
Home base
“Twenty20 cricket is a demanding format, physically and mentally. There is also a lot of travelling involved. But at least, we would have a base this time.
“We did not have that in South Africa. The competition would also help us to prepare well for the Twenty20 World Cup.”
Dhoni felt the domestic player had gained much from the IPL. “I think coach Fleming and cricketers such as Michael Hussey have been good mentors. A lot of Indian cricketers have benefited.
“S. Badrinath, M.S. Gony and M. Vijay have gone on to play for India. Suresh Raina has emerged a much better cricketer. So, the IPL really helps the emerging players.”
This is precisely the reason why Dhoni firmly believes only four foreign cricketers should figure in the eleven. “It is the Indian Premier League, right? I think, the Indian cricketers should gain the most from it.”
Fleming's take
Coach Stephen Fleming said, “While the international players enable a side win a game or two, it is the strength of the domestic players that helps a team win the title. I think a lot of good local talent has come through in Tamil Nadu.
“This is a region that has a rich history in the game and is extremely proud of its cricket. There is a very good development system for young cricketers here. All said, local players are the key.”
Talking about practice sessions, he said, “There would be more quality than quantity. We will strive to be extremely focussed and intense.”
Sunday, March 7, 2010
IPL raises the bar for bidders
The second big bang of the IPL dhamaka will take place at 11.40 am on Sunday, when the league’s bosses will open the bids from two more aspiring franchises. The running really is between Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Pune, though the offer is for 12 franchises.
While it is interesting to see which two bidders will pitch for two of the 12 franchises on offer, the bigger story is on how IPL has grown in just three years.
From scratch, IPL honcho Lalit Modi has built up a brand whose value is estimated by UK-based Brand Finance at $4.1 billion (Rs 1,876 crore).
The standards for Sunday’s bidders are way higher than in the first auction in 2008.
This time, sources say, Mr Modi has allowed entry only for groups with a net worth of $1billion (Rs 4,578 crore). This would mean that the bidders would need a cash turnaround of Rs 10,000 crore.
By this standard, in 2008, only Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries (Mumbai Indians) would have qualified among the current franchisees, with Vijay Mallya of the Kingfisher group (Bangalore Royal Challengers) and N. Srinivasan of India Cements (Chennai Superkings) close behind.
Current franchisees are watching the bids as it will push up the valuations of their own teams.
IPL facts
* IPL netted Rs 37.4 crore in application fees alone
* IPL brand value estimated at $4.1 billion (Rs 1,876 crore)
* All bidders have to give a bank guarantee for bidding amount
* Bidding is for two of the following cities: Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Pune, Kanpur, Vizag, Dharamsala, Indore, Cuttack, Gwalior, Baroda, Rajkot, Kochi
* Rumours have it that Gujarat Group, Videocon with Abhi-
shek Bachchan, Sahara group with Big B, and Poonawala Group are likely to bid
* IPL press meet in Mumbai at 11.40 am on Sunday
While it is interesting to see which two bidders will pitch for two of the 12 franchises on offer, the bigger story is on how IPL has grown in just three years.
From scratch, IPL honcho Lalit Modi has built up a brand whose value is estimated by UK-based Brand Finance at $4.1 billion (Rs 1,876 crore).
The standards for Sunday’s bidders are way higher than in the first auction in 2008.
This time, sources say, Mr Modi has allowed entry only for groups with a net worth of $1billion (Rs 4,578 crore). This would mean that the bidders would need a cash turnaround of Rs 10,000 crore.
By this standard, in 2008, only Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries (Mumbai Indians) would have qualified among the current franchisees, with Vijay Mallya of the Kingfisher group (Bangalore Royal Challengers) and N. Srinivasan of India Cements (Chennai Superkings) close behind.
Current franchisees are watching the bids as it will push up the valuations of their own teams.
IPL facts
* IPL netted Rs 37.4 crore in application fees alone
* IPL brand value estimated at $4.1 billion (Rs 1,876 crore)
* All bidders have to give a bank guarantee for bidding amount
* Bidding is for two of the following cities: Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Pune, Kanpur, Vizag, Dharamsala, Indore, Cuttack, Gwalior, Baroda, Rajkot, Kochi
* Rumours have it that Gujarat Group, Videocon with Abhi-
shek Bachchan, Sahara group with Big B, and Poonawala Group are likely to bid
* IPL press meet in Mumbai at 11.40 am on Sunday
Friday, February 26, 2010
ACA claims positive progress on IPL security demands
Even though the Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi has ridiculed the safety concerns raised by the Australian Cricketers Association, the ACA claims to have made “some positive progress” in getting its players’ security demands met by the IPL organisers.
“Our security adviser Reg Dickason has been working with the IPL’s security adviser, Nicholls-Steyn. They’ve been working for a few days now on what we’ve identified as the issues that have come out of various player meetings,” Marsh told ‘Cricinfo’
“Nicholls-Steyn is aware of those and they are working through the issues and we’re making some positive progress.
It’s probably looked more positive over the last few days than what it has (before). There’s still 15 days to go before the event starts and things can happen very quickly in India, we’ve seen that over the years,” he added.
Mr. Modi had earlier dismissed the ACA’s concerns in his twitter feeds, saying the IPL would not “be dictated by players associations on where to play“.
Meanwhile, Marsh played down reports of a bust-up between current and former Australian cricketers with regards to IPL participation.
“Like just about every meeting, when you’re dealing with a difficult issue, there are different points of view and there were definitely different points of view in this particular meeting. The players were completely unified on the position that they wanted to go,” Marsh said.
“However, there was one school thinking they would only go if our security adviser, Reg Dickason who we trust, believes it’s safe to go. There was another school that said it’s a risk-and-reward type situation, would we go regardless.
We got to a position at the end of it where we all said okay, let’s put back to the IPL the things that we need so that all the players can go.
“If we can resolve those issues with them, and that is our hope, then we would expect to get to a point where our security adviser recommends that it’s safe for the players to go. If we can’t overcome these issues then the opposite is the most likely scenario. This is a decision to be made by each individual player,” he added.
“Our security adviser Reg Dickason has been working with the IPL’s security adviser, Nicholls-Steyn. They’ve been working for a few days now on what we’ve identified as the issues that have come out of various player meetings,” Marsh told ‘Cricinfo’
“Nicholls-Steyn is aware of those and they are working through the issues and we’re making some positive progress.
It’s probably looked more positive over the last few days than what it has (before). There’s still 15 days to go before the event starts and things can happen very quickly in India, we’ve seen that over the years,” he added.
Mr. Modi had earlier dismissed the ACA’s concerns in his twitter feeds, saying the IPL would not “be dictated by players associations on where to play“.
Meanwhile, Marsh played down reports of a bust-up between current and former Australian cricketers with regards to IPL participation.
“Like just about every meeting, when you’re dealing with a difficult issue, there are different points of view and there were definitely different points of view in this particular meeting. The players were completely unified on the position that they wanted to go,” Marsh said.
“However, there was one school thinking they would only go if our security adviser, Reg Dickason who we trust, believes it’s safe to go. There was another school that said it’s a risk-and-reward type situation, would we go regardless.
We got to a position at the end of it where we all said okay, let’s put back to the IPL the things that we need so that all the players can go.
“If we can resolve those issues with them, and that is our hope, then we would expect to get to a point where our security adviser recommends that it’s safe for the players to go. If we can’t overcome these issues then the opposite is the most likely scenario. This is a decision to be made by each individual player,” he added.
