It is easy to say that every player must be allowed to earn his living but that also means that the franchises must be protected and so too must the players. The franchises don’t want to get into a situation where they don’t have control over the players and that the player is able to hold them to ransom.

Similarly, while money is good for the game, too much money may spoil the cricketers – especially if they don’t really deserve it. For someone who is 17 and has not played a single season of Ranji, signing up for Rs.50,00,000 could end up spoiling him – at that age, the mind is gullible and could believe that it is the end of the world for them.

So, well done BCCI – for whatever reasons.

The decision was taken at a Special General Meeting convened to resolve the matter after Modi’s counsel Mehmood Abdi pointed out last month that the panel did not have the BCCI General Body’s mandate.

The committee comprises the trio of Chirayu Amin, Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

“The committee had already got the BCCI’s approval in the Annual General Meeting but it was not recorded in the minutes of the meeting,” a BCCI source said after the meeting.

Abdi had said that BCCI forgot to re-constitute the Committee for the year 2010-2011 at its AGM held in September.

Modi’s camp had consistently opposed the nomination of Amin and Jaitley, both members of the IPL Governing Council when it was headed by Modi, citing bias.

Source : Times of India

The fourth edition of the IPL will be held one week after the Cricket World Cup ends and yet, there is a good chance that the BCCI may have to rethink the dates.

The reason for this is that the dates were announced based on the fact that the player auctions will be held in January 2011. However, with the case between Punjab/Rajasthan and the BCCI having gone to the High court, it is evident that the player auctions will not go ahead as planned.

What is funnier is that it has been reported that the auctions could be held during the World Cup.

World cup? You must be kidding. So here we have teams trying to focus their minds on the games that they have and there, on the other hand, a few of their players will be keeping a close eye on what they could potentially earn out of the deal with their new franchise.

Really, this is the silliest thing that BCCI could come up with in recent times – there should be some kind of restraint shown by them and not hog the limelight even during the World Cup.

So, my surmise is that Lalit Modi may soon see him being forgotten by even some of the franchise owners who had vouched for him – and are still doing that – unless he can get his name cleared within the BCCI.

Unfortunately, it does not look like the BCCI is willing to relent. In the latest move, N Srinivasan, the Board secretary and Modi’s sworn enemy, said that the answers provided by Modi to the show cause notice were all baseless and an enquiry will proceed.

Modi may say that Srinivasan’s response is a mockery of law, as he has claimed. But the point is simple, you take on one of the biggest and one of the oldest sporting bodies in the country, you are going to bounce off them – without affecting them too much.

Suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi tweeted hours after his lawyers submitted his showcause notice reply to BCCI, “The reply is by my last count around 15000 pages, the team may have added more, or getting ready to add more as we print thousands of mails.”

“I will do a press conference at an appropriate time. It is best to allow my colleagues time to go through my reply. We spent weeks putting it,” he added on Twitter.

“When anyone is falsely accused – it is there duty to respond and not react. So one responds by making all that,” added Modi.

“All I have to say for the moment is I have replied in complete details to all charges,” Modi further added on Twitter.

Modi responded to the first showcause notice served to him for alleged financial irregularities with a staggering 12,000-page reply, which according to his lawyers, will leave BCCI with no choice but to re-instate him in the post.

Modi, who had got an extension of five days from May 10 deadline, submitted his reply through his lawyers, who brought in the papers in six cartons amidst the media frenzy at the Cricket Centre, the Board’s headquarters.

BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty received the papers and documents on behalf of the Board and said all the concerned people will be given the copies.

Modi’s lawyers Mehmood Abdi talked with the waiting media for close to 30 minutes and said the reply had “sufficiently and fully addressed” all the allegations against his client.

He expressed confidence that BCCI would drop the showcause and re-instate Modi as IPL Chairman after going through the voluminous reply.

“We have given all clarification; nothing is left from our side, except that the showcause notice must be dropped immediately. All the allegations have been sufficiently and fully addressed,” Abdi told reporters.

Modi’s lawyer said the BCCI will not find it difficult to read and scrutinise the voluminous reply since its President was himself a lawyer.

“According to me, the suspension should be revoked today and Mr Modi should be reinstated as IPL Commissioner because the BCCI President is a renowned lawyer and has the habit of reading 1,000 pages in a minute. So, I feel he should not take much time in reading our reply.

“There is no scope for BCCI to keep their charges alive now. I am 100 per cent confident that BCCI President will be satisfied to drop all the charges against Mr Modi.

“I feel it has been painful for Mr Modi to hear that he has brought disrepute to the game based on oral allegations. Just few days earlier he was the hero. He was the subject matter of studies in universities and in one moment he was turned into a fall guy,” he said.

The BCCI gave us a 35-page showcause notice and we have given a reply to that in 160 pages, including the covering. Two copies have been provided to BCCI — one for President Shashank Manohar and the other for secretary N Srinivasan,” Abdi said.

Asked about the content of the reply, he said, “It is not for us to share the details, it is BCCI’s authority now.”

He said BCCI may be given another set of papers, if required.

“We have reserved the right to produce another voluminous set of papers which may run into 37 to 45 thousand pages. It will have the trail of e-mails of the institutions and authorities who matter, if required.

“I am not alone who worked on this reply. It has been a team work to put all the inputs together. There is a big legal team, including Harish Salve, Ram Jethmalani and his son Harish Jethmalani among others, who has been drafting this reply and filed it in just 20 days.”

Abdi also contended that BCCI did not follow proper procedure in suspending Modi.

“Although BCCI issued the showcause notice on hearsay allegations, Mr Modi tried to reply them. There should have been a complaint in writing, oral complaint is no complaint. In this case suspension came first. It has been done wrongly,” he said.

Shetty spoke to media after Abdi’s interaction with media and confirmed receiving the reply.

“I have received the documents and all the concerned people will be given the copies.

On Abdi’s charge that BCCI did not follow procedure, he said,” That is his personal opinion. I can’t react on that. The Board has adopted a procedure and we stick to that.”

Modi was suspended on April 26, soon after the conclusion of the IPL-III final in Navi Mumbai by BCCI which sent him a show cause notice asking him to reply to a slew of charges relating to the conduct of the high-profile Twenty20 league.

Modi is accused of indulging in murky financial deals without the knowledge of the IPL Governing Council, bid-rigging and taking kickbacks from the TV rights and internet deals.

Modi’s problems were compounded when he was slapped with a second show cause notice by the Board for allegedly trying to provoke English counties to revolt against their parent body, the ECB, and start a parallel Twenty20 league.

Now the board’s three-man disciplinary committee, comprising President Shashank Manohar and two vice-presidents – Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin, will take a decision on the matter. The panel is expected to meet in mid-June to decide on the issue.

Source : Times of India

The miseries of Kings XI Punjab seem to be unending. After finishing at the bottom of the IPL 3 tally, the team owned by actress Preity Zinta and others has informed the government that it suffered a loss of Rs 25 crore in the very first year (2008-09) of formation of the consortium KPH Dreams Cricket Private Ltd.

According to financial statements submitted to the Registrar of Companies (ROC), KPH Dreams Cricket, which is co-owned by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta and industrialist Ness Wadia, earned a total income of Rs 55 crore while the total expenditure stood at close to Rs 80 crore in 2008-09.

A senior official in ROC said on the condition of anonymity that “revenue from the franchise rights and sponsorships constituted a major share of the total income of the company while participating in first edition of IPL.”

However, the company reported depreciation of Rs 30 crore and players cost of Rs 27 crore in its total expenditure for the year 2008-09.

The company last week submitted its balance sheet and annual returns with the ROC.

On April 21, a local Court had issued notices to co-owners of Kings XI Punjab including Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia on a complaint filed by ROC accusing the Mohali franchise of not filing balance sheets and annual returns.

Kings XI Punjab, which had committed to pay $76 million as franchise fee for over 10 years, in January this year had said that it was hoping to break even by March 2011.

According to the filing, Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia hold 23 per cent stake each in the franchise, while Karan Paul, Chairman of Apeejay-Surrendra Group, has 4 per cent equity. The balance 50 per cent is with M.B. Finmart and Windy Investments.

Former Indian cricket board president Inderjit Singh Bindra, an influential member of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council, feels suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi was a victim of unfair vilification and lauded him as marketing genius who has changed the landscape of Indian crikcet.

Saying that he is not holding any brief for Modi, Bindra said the IPL commissioner deserved a better appreciation of his work and a fair trial if anyone thinks he has committed any serious mistakes.

‘The time has arrived for me to post some appropriate questions that have been nagging my mind and have interest in the public eye. Is Lalit Modi a builder of the greatest sporting brand in the world in a short span of three years or a villain who has undermined the foundations of the edifice of Indian cricket?’ said Bindra.

‘In the final analysis, I would like to make it abundantly clear that I hold no brief on behalf of Mr. Modi. Some of the issues which have cropped up concern some alleged violations of laws relating to the FEMA and money laundering and some allegedly serious offences under the Indian Penal Code and are outside the jurisdiction of either the GC or the Working Committee of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) or the General Body,’ Bindra noted.

‘However, I am not going to prejudge the issue and in accordance with the constitutional and principles of jurisprudence enshrined in our democratic fabric I will refuse to hold anyone guilty before giving a fair opportunity. I refuse to be swayed by media frenzy in determining vital issues concerning the reputation of not only an individual but also a brand and the reputation of Indian cricket,’ he said.

Bindra said he was pleased to read the extracts of Indian cricket board president Shashank Manohar’s press briefing wherein he has offered to be totally objective and impartial in the application of the rules and regulations of the board.

‘The unfolding events of recent weeks have, undoubtedly, created a crisis that has been fueled by massive media frenzy. Indian cricket has come under threat. The uncontrolled cascade of public perceptions is threatening to tear asunder the wonderful fabric of cricket built thread by thread by many legends,’ Bindra said.

‘This mosaic of cricketing leadership was woven by the blood, sweat and tears of on-field galaxy of outstanding players and honorary officials working with missionary zeal and unwavering commitment,’ said Bindra, recalling the efforts so many cricket administrators in promoting the sport in the country.

‘I was fortunate to step into the shoes of Mr. (Madhavrao) Scindia due to the efforts of many friends, including Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya. This period witnessed the final breaking of the monopoly of Doordarshan for broadcasting rights as per the 1994 decision of the Supreme Court. It was an epoch transformation that attained its full potential post change of regime in November 2005,’ g

On Modi, he said: ‘It was due to the marketing genius of a maverick — Lalit Modi — that Indian cricket finally emerged as a colossus in the international firmament in terms of reach and financial clout. Indian cricket became the epicenter of world cricket and the envy of the cricketing fraternity during this key phase.’

‘Lalit Modi is unquestionably responsible for converting Indian cricket into a financial giant and for creating a truly global international brand in the IPL. His positioning, branding and commercial savvy puts the League in the ranks of true marketing icons akin to the many success stories dissected as case studies in leading business schools across the globe.’

‘It is a sad surprise that he has suddenly become an object of vilification. All hell broke loose in the media based on some leaks from so called reliable sources within the board and some statements made by principal players in the whole drama. It is disappointing that the vast majority of the media has so far not taken a balanced perspective to the affair,’ he added.

Bindra felt sad that the IPL, a successful global sporting brand has overnight became an object of ridicule and vilification in what was a veritable trial by media.

‘Make no mistake, I am not sitting here to protect anyone or apportion blame at this stage. I would not like us to rush to judgment. For somebody who has been closely associated with the developments in the international cricketing arena since 1982, I cannot but painfully ponder how and why?’ said Bindra.

He also held the cricket fraternity for the ongoing controversy in the IPL.

‘I can opine with conviction that part of the blame lies with our own cricketing fraternity for being an instrument in leaking all kinds of unconfirmed reports without veracity or merit. The media has been ready with the guillotine to hang the hero of the IPL. He has been accused of match fixing, rigging of bids, laundering of money, and all kinds of allegations pertaining to financial irregularities and dealings based on unsubstantiated evidence,’ he said.

Miandad said keeping in mind the huge stakes involved in the so called domestic event of the BCCI, the world governing body of the game must intervene.

“Just to say the IPL is a domestic event does not work. IPL has too much foreign participation and interest at stake. ICC must supervise its organization from now on,” he said.

Miandad, who is Director-General of Cricket in the PCB, said that he was not surprised at the turn of events in the IPL or the suspension of its commissioner Lalit Modi.

“It is not surprising because when you allow a private enterprise to deal directly with players bypassing the boards there is always bound to be trouble.

“I have been saying from day one that the ICC can’t allow any Board to operate such private enterprises without a proper system of check and balance,” Miandad said.

He contended that by allowing the IPL to deal directly with players, a wrong trend was set.

“Who is there to stop Modi from telling a player, ‘Your country pays you so much I will pay you thrice as much’ and this leads to conflict of interest for the players.”

The former Pakistan captain and coach said lot of hype was created around the IPL for a purpose but realistically it did nothing for the betterment of cricket.

“Already there is so much T20 international cricket being played these days. Why should we have the IPL and one week later the World Cup. What is more important,” he said.

No Pakistani player participated in the just concluded IPL 3 as no franchise bid for them at the auction. As many as 11 players, including Pakistan’s T20 captain Shahid Afridi, were part of the auction but went unsold.

Source : Times of India

“Everything is fine (in the accounts books) during our survey operations at PCA as nothing incriminating has been found so far,” a senior official of Income Tax Department said.

Though the Income Tax sleuths did not confiscate anything during their entire operation, sources revealed that they had put certain queries to PCA officials regarding IPL accounts.

“We had put certain queries to PCA officials, which we do not want to share at this moment,” the official said.

During the investigation, the I-T officials found that the PCA was maintaining the back up of the entire accounts of IPL here in Mohali. “We had a look at all the IPL accounts here and found that a backup of books of accounts of Mumbai IPL office is being maintained here,” sources said.

Income Tax department carried out survey operations at PCA stadium on Friday from 5:30 pm to examine the books of accounts of IPL. The survey operations, in which five members participated, continued well past midnight.

PCA Joint Secretary GS Walia said that the Income Tax officials had come to the stadium as part of their country wide drive to collect data relating to the IPL.

“We cooperated with them and gave them all the information they sought from us,” Walia added.

The department conducted this operation taking suo motu action in the light of survey conduced by their counterparts in Mumbai.

Source : Times of India

“Hey buddy you’re a champion and your charisma is something (that) I’m sure inspires a lot of people. Hang in there, sport is cruel sometimes,” the Rajasthan Royals captain tweeted on Wednesday.

“Congrats the way you conduct yourself, I know it’s tough re (regarding) KKR… I am feeling for you, but it’s a pleasure to live the journey of life,” Warne conveyed to the Bollywood star. Words that will surely touch Shah Rukh, who had apologised to one and all for yet another KKR failure on Tuesday.

Wednesday was a fresh day and SRK was in a better frame of mind. He wrote: “Also cos (because) lots of ppl (people) think I am sad etc. I am not.. just disappointed. That too has waned already. New day… new way. v get wot v work for (We get what we work for). Being successful does not mean that one doesn’t react to bad days. Being successful means reacting and then acting upon changing bad days.”

He added: “Those who don’t have a reaction to losses get used to it. I always… say.. if you hate losing enuff (enough)… you will surely win. End of sermon ha ha.”

The tone turned serious again: “Someone just sent a mathematical (ill-informed) profit made by KKR. To correct u… Not invested million dollars, just some priceless emotions in KKR.”

Source : Times of India