M A I N   N E W S

Shukla resigns as IPL chief, Srinivasan’s exit imminent
Tribune News Service & PTI

New Delhi, June 1
IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla resigned from the post ahead of the BCCI’s working committee meeting tomorrow that may see the exit of president N Srinivasan in the wake of spot-fixing controversy surrounding the IPL.

Srinivasan has been stonewalling all attempts to force him out of office in spite of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan’s arrest over alleged spot-fixing and betting.

Backroom negotiations are on to find an honourable exit for the 68-year-old cricket administrator who is said to have set some conditions before he resigns.

After putting in his papers, Shukla said he had been thinking of resigning for some time but firmed up his mind to quit after BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke resigned yesterday. Shukla said he had tried to do justice as the IPL chairman, though he did not hanker for any position. Jagdale and Shirke have welcomed Shukla’s decision to step down.

In an indication that Srinivasan’s resignation may come tomorrow, Shukla said “some announcement is likely to be made. Wait for a day”.

Srinivasan’s exit as the BCCI chief appeared imminent with senior board members virtually forcing him to convene the working committee meeting in Chennai tomorrow.

Srinivasan is learnt to have put forth three demands before he resigns. He wants to be reinstated as president if he emerges unscathed from the probe in Gurunath’s case and represent India in ICC meetings. He also wants to keep Jagdale and Shirke out of the new panel.

The name of former BCCI chief Shashank Manohar, a non-controversial figure whom Srinivasan had succeeded two years ago, is doing the rounds for interim president. The possibility of regular elections in September cannot be ruled out when Srinivasan’s term ends.

As pressure mounted on him to quit, the BCCI advanced the working committee meeting which Srinivasan had planned to convene next Saturday.

“An emergency meeting of the working committee of the BCCI will be held at 2.30 pm on Sunday,” BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement.

In the morning, Thakur reiterated that Srinivasan should resign in the interest of fairness. “He should step aside for a transparent and fair probe,” he said.

A distressed board vice-president Niranjan Shah said the scandal had become increasingly “disgraceful” but stopped short of demanding Srinivasan’s resignation.

The other important issue that will come up for discussion at the meeting include the status of the three-member probe panel, which is left with two members after Jagdale’s resignation.

Srini’s conditions

• Should be reinstated as president if no charges come up against him after the probe in Gurunath’s case
• Should be allowed to represent India at ICC meetings
• Former secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke must be kept out of the new panel