M A I N   N E W S

Chirayu Amin gets IPL reins
BCCI begins probe against Modi
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

GC Meet Three-member panel comprising former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and MAK Pataudi apppointed to manage IPL 4 affairs. Board to look into charges against Modi that he holds stakes in Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab via his relatives. The alleged rigging of Kochi and Pune bids also under scanner

Mumbai, April 26
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today formally appointed Baroda Cricket Association president and Chirayu Amin as the interim chairman of the Indian Premier League.

A Sharad Pawar-loyalist, Amin, a former Gujarat Association chief, was appointed in place of Lalit Modi at an emergency meeting of the IPL Governing Council. The Board also appointed a three-member committee comprising former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and MAK Pataudi to take charge of planning and organising the next edition of the IPL.

Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, BCCI chief Shashank Manohar said the charges being filed against Modi would be broadly on five counts, including his high-flying extravagant lifestyle as the IPL commissioner. Modi would also be probed for holding stakes in Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab franchises via his relatives and the broadcast deal with Sony apart from the selection of the Kochi and Pune franchisees, he added.

Modi, who was suspended late on Sunday night and issued a show-cause notice on various charges, was also accused of keeping the Governing Council in the dark and taking decisions on his own. Denying Modi’s allegations that all decisions were taken in consultation with the Governing Council, Manohar cited the instance of Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra not even figuring in the list of shareholders of the Rajasthan Royals team.

“We are asking Modi, how can he sign an agreement with A when the bid came from B.....I did not find the names of Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra in the papers and they claim to be stakeholders,” Manohar said. He also clarified that Modi was not under probe for betting and match-fixing as reported in a section of the media. Modi been given 15 days to respond to the charges against him. The BCCI chief gave a clean chit to Sharad Pawar, saying there is no involvement of any of his relatives either in the bids.

(With PTI inputs)

I’m still IPL chairman, tweets Modi

New Delhi, April 26
Undeterred by his suspension as the IPL boss, a combative Lalit Modi today sought to put up a brave face by maintaining that he was still the chairman of the Twenty20 league and was merely suspended for the time being.

Modi broke his silence since his late night suspension with yet another tweet that has been his mode of communication of late.

“Thank you all for your message of support. It is really appreciated. I am still chairman of IPL. Just suspended. Wait - we have just begun,” Modi said on his Twitter page. Modi has not elaborated by what he meant by “wait - we have just begun” remark but it is being widely interpreted as a threat to expose his detractors.

Earlier, Modi had threatened to expose all people who had tried to bring the game into disrepute. “Had a restful day. Been in the spa all day. Much needed rest,” he tweeted. — PTI