Modi, BCCI refuse to budge

IPL IV: A sub-committee headed by Ravi Shastri may run the show

There was speculation that former cricketer Ravi Shastri may head this sub-committee which will replace the hitherto all-powerful IPL chairman and commissioner Modi. The showman is likely to be suspended by the GC where the members are strongly pitted against him.

As the BCCI top brass who met in Mumbai on Saturday decided not to heed his request to give him five days’ time to reply to allegations of irregularities, Modi, in his Twitter comments, threatened to “reveal all.”

He said he will expose everything about “those who brought disrepute to the game.”
Charging that he was being pressured to quit but insisting that he will fight his case to the hilt, Modi tweeted: “People pressuring me to resign. I can tell you (this) will not happen. Let them remove me then. What we have done has been there for all of you to see for the past four years. No one can take that away.” He added: “Media putting stories without verification goes to show how media can misuse their power. Don’t get influenced by all these baseless stories.”

BCCI sources said the GC is likely to appoint Ravi Shastri IPL commissioner, and he will be assisted by the sub-committee that may consist of Arun Jaitley, Niranjan Shah and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

The former India captain and ace commentator will subsequently relinquish his post as chairman of the National Cricket Academy. At their informal meeting, the BCCI senior office-bearers, who stayed away from the IPL awards ceremony on Friday night, took stock of the developments so far.

BCCI president Shashank Manohar and other office-bearers N Srinivasan, Ratnakar Shetty and Niranjan Shah were present at the meeting that drew up the strategy to be adopted at the Monday meeting.

The meeting took place after top BCCI officials also met Union minister Sharad Pawar, after the latter reportedly asked the Board to give Lalit Modi about three to five days’ time. The top BCCI officials apprised him of the steps that they were contemplating.
For the first time in 15 days, Manohar and Modi spoke over the phone on Saturday morning, egged on by Pawar. Sources said Manohar reiterated his stand that Modi should quit.

Modi, on his part, continued to draw support from the IPL franchisees. Liquor baron and owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore Vijay Mallya met Pawar at his residence in Mumbai on Saturday.

Later, Mallya told reporters: “Lalit Modi should be given some time to explain himself. There is some wrong done. Some governing council members are not happy about it. Let them investigate the matter.”

Mallya added: “Yes, there may be questions about how the IPL is run and that should be investigated. But to question the team owners, allege there’s black money, that’s a stretch. If money comes from Mauritius or Switzerland through any government body, it is not a question. Why is it questioned for IPL? Match fixing is utter rubbish,” the UB Group chairman said.

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, tweeted his support for Modi and said: “Fast, furious and too much noise. like the T20 itself. Hope it gets resolved as fast too for our friend lalit and franchisees,” said Khan. Priety Zinta of Kings XI Punjab and Jay Mehta, a co-owner of KKR, also came out in support of Modi.