 "IPL to stay but Srinivasan to go")
The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals to play in the seventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), averting a whittled-down version of the Rs 3,000-crore cricket tournament had the two teams been asked to sit it out.
The court, however, told N Srinivasan to step down as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and asked veteran player Sunil Gavaskar to officiate the IPL. Srinivasan’s other duties will be dispensed by BCCI vice-president Shivlal Yadav. The court also ruled no India Cements employee be allowed to hold posts in the BCCI, in a double blow for Srinivasan, who is the company’s managing director.
The Supreme Court’s interim order, in a hearing on conflict of interest in a BCCI inquiry into corruption in the IPL, comes as a relief to advertisers, the telecast company and team franchises. It also allows 178 cricketers to earn Rs 468 crore in playing fees.
The final hearing in the case will be on April 16, the day matches start. The Cricket Association of Bihar had filed the case in the Bombay High Court against the constitution of a BCCI panel to probe alleged spot-fixing in the IPL in 2013. The court ruled against BCCI, which went in appeal to the Supreme Court. The apex court set up its own committee under high court judge Mukul Mudgal, which found evidence of the involvement of Gurunath Meiyappan, Srinivasan’s son-in-law, in match-fixing.
The court has left it to Gavaskar to decide whether IPL Chief Executive Officer Sundar Raman should be allowed to continue in his job. It also asked BCCI to compensate the cricket legend for income from the other commitments he stands to lose while looking after the IPL. “(I am) honoured to be entrusted with the job of being the interim president of the BCCI. Like with my cricket, I will give it my best shot,” Gavaskar said.
The legendary batsman will, however, give up his role as a commentator while discharging duties as the interim BCCI chief.
Gavaskar’s responsibilities will be akin to those of Lalit Modi and Rajiv Shukla in the past as IPL commissioners. He will not be responsible for matters outside the ambit of the IPL.
Defending Mahendra Singh Dhoni, BCCI lawyer C A Sundaram said the Indian cricket captain, who also leads Chennai Super Kings, did not tell the Mudgal committee that Meiyappan was merely a cricket enthusiast and had no role in the team’s decision-making process.
Harish Salve, representing the Cricket Association of Bihar, said in Thursday’s Supreme Court proceedings that Dhoni had made a false statement to the committee, which found Meiyappan was effectively running Chennai Super Kings. “It is hard to believe that Dhoni was not completely aware of Meiyappan’s activities since he was in the players’ dug-out. There should be an independent disciplinary inquiry into the franchises,” Salve told a TV channel on Friday.
Support for Dhoni also came from BCCI functionaries. “It was not wise to drag Dhoni into this matter. He has nothing to do with it,” Yadav said.
Salve persisted on his view while talking to news channels later in the day. He asserted that the matter was about institutional integrity and the BCCI should subject itself to greater moral and judicial scrutiny. The petitioner’s lawyer also pointed out that the IPL governing council’s definition of corruption includes cover-up and that Dhoni should be questioned by the BCCI regarding his statement to the Mudgal committee, as part of an independent inquiry. Being a disciplinary body itself, the BCCI should ask Dhoni for an explanation rather than defend him.
He also outlined the three-point argument by the petitioner in the final hearing would be to quash Srinivasan’s appointment, carry out disciplinary action by a neutral party against India Cements and others, to avoid conflict of interest, and to make the Mudgal committee report public to avoid rumours and speculation about its content.
However, there are some who said Srinivasan has been let off lightly. On being asked if Srinivasan has been given yet another lifeline, former treasurer of the BCCI Ajay Shirke said, “Yes, definitely, because earlier the Supreme Court had made strong observations and compared to those observations, this order, I would say, is a very mild one. What I would like to see is that BCCI really getting their act together and completely clean up cricket.”
Voices from the business of cricket were cautiously positive.
“We should be able to sign deals in the next 10 days,” said Rohit Gupta, president (network sales and licensing), Multi Screen Media, the company that telecasts the tournament on SET MAX, Sony Six and Sony Six HD. “Almost 40 per cent of our ad inventory has been sold. Now that the interim order has been passed, the fence-sitters should come on board.”
An executive with one of the team franchises said: “The uncertainty about the IPL has kept many advertisers away. With just three weeks to go, the teams are in a hurry to close deals and may not have the bargaining edge.”
Indranil Das Blaah, co-founder and partner at sports marketing and celebrity management agency CAA Kwan, said: “The revenue graph for the IPL will be flattish this time. This is due to the combined impact of the delay in scheduling the event, the controversy and the general elections.”
Shubha George, chief operating officer, MEC South Asia, part of Group M media buying house, said: “For now, there does not appear to be a significant impact on the IPL. After all, it is a stable property.”
Unni Krishnan, managing director for India, Brand Finance, which has valued the IPL brand and franchises, said: “The current fiasco is good for flushing out poison from the system. The IPL brand was showing signs of deterioration. The court order will bring back sanity and trust.”
The court, however, told N Srinivasan to step down as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and asked veteran player Sunil Gavaskar to officiate the IPL. Srinivasan’s other duties will be dispensed by BCCI vice-president Shivlal Yadav. The court also ruled no India Cements employee be allowed to hold posts in the BCCI, in a double blow for Srinivasan, who is the company’s managing director.
The Supreme Court’s interim order, in a hearing on conflict of interest in a BCCI inquiry into corruption in the IPL, comes as a relief to advertisers, the telecast company and team franchises. It also allows 178 cricketers to earn Rs 468 crore in playing fees.
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The tournament seemed to be in jeopardy on Thursday, when the court proposed Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals be excluded from the IPL. This would have reduced the number of teams from eight to six and the number of matches from 60 to 34.
The final hearing in the case will be on April 16, the day matches start. The Cricket Association of Bihar had filed the case in the Bombay High Court against the constitution of a BCCI panel to probe alleged spot-fixing in the IPL in 2013. The court ruled against BCCI, which went in appeal to the Supreme Court. The apex court set up its own committee under high court judge Mukul Mudgal, which found evidence of the involvement of Gurunath Meiyappan, Srinivasan’s son-in-law, in match-fixing.
The court has left it to Gavaskar to decide whether IPL Chief Executive Officer Sundar Raman should be allowed to continue in his job. It also asked BCCI to compensate the cricket legend for income from the other commitments he stands to lose while looking after the IPL. “(I am) honoured to be entrusted with the job of being the interim president of the BCCI. Like with my cricket, I will give it my best shot,” Gavaskar said.
The legendary batsman will, however, give up his role as a commentator while discharging duties as the interim BCCI chief.
Gavaskar’s responsibilities will be akin to those of Lalit Modi and Rajiv Shukla in the past as IPL commissioners. He will not be responsible for matters outside the ambit of the IPL.
Defending Mahendra Singh Dhoni, BCCI lawyer C A Sundaram said the Indian cricket captain, who also leads Chennai Super Kings, did not tell the Mudgal committee that Meiyappan was merely a cricket enthusiast and had no role in the team’s decision-making process.
Harish Salve, representing the Cricket Association of Bihar, said in Thursday’s Supreme Court proceedings that Dhoni had made a false statement to the committee, which found Meiyappan was effectively running Chennai Super Kings. “It is hard to believe that Dhoni was not completely aware of Meiyappan’s activities since he was in the players’ dug-out. There should be an independent disciplinary inquiry into the franchises,” Salve told a TV channel on Friday.
Support for Dhoni also came from BCCI functionaries. “It was not wise to drag Dhoni into this matter. He has nothing to do with it,” Yadav said.
Salve persisted on his view while talking to news channels later in the day. He asserted that the matter was about institutional integrity and the BCCI should subject itself to greater moral and judicial scrutiny. The petitioner’s lawyer also pointed out that the IPL governing council’s definition of corruption includes cover-up and that Dhoni should be questioned by the BCCI regarding his statement to the Mudgal committee, as part of an independent inquiry. Being a disciplinary body itself, the BCCI should ask Dhoni for an explanation rather than defend him.
He also outlined the three-point argument by the petitioner in the final hearing would be to quash Srinivasan’s appointment, carry out disciplinary action by a neutral party against India Cements and others, to avoid conflict of interest, and to make the Mudgal committee report public to avoid rumours and speculation about its content.
However, there are some who said Srinivasan has been let off lightly. On being asked if Srinivasan has been given yet another lifeline, former treasurer of the BCCI Ajay Shirke said, “Yes, definitely, because earlier the Supreme Court had made strong observations and compared to those observations, this order, I would say, is a very mild one. What I would like to see is that BCCI really getting their act together and completely clean up cricket.”
Voices from the business of cricket were cautiously positive.
“We should be able to sign deals in the next 10 days,” said Rohit Gupta, president (network sales and licensing), Multi Screen Media, the company that telecasts the tournament on SET MAX, Sony Six and Sony Six HD. “Almost 40 per cent of our ad inventory has been sold. Now that the interim order has been passed, the fence-sitters should come on board.”
An executive with one of the team franchises said: “The uncertainty about the IPL has kept many advertisers away. With just three weeks to go, the teams are in a hurry to close deals and may not have the bargaining edge.”
Indranil Das Blaah, co-founder and partner at sports marketing and celebrity management agency CAA Kwan, said: “The revenue graph for the IPL will be flattish this time. This is due to the combined impact of the delay in scheduling the event, the controversy and the general elections.”
Shubha George, chief operating officer, MEC South Asia, part of Group M media buying house, said: “For now, there does not appear to be a significant impact on the IPL. After all, it is a stable property.”
Unni Krishnan, managing director for India, Brand Finance, which has valued the IPL brand and franchises, said: “The current fiasco is good for flushing out poison from the system. The IPL brand was showing signs of deterioration. The court order will bring back sanity and trust.”