The Great Game Called Cricket...

Chirayu Amin will be the interim IPL Chairman, after the BCCI top brass who sat in on the Governing Council meeting picked him as the replacement for the suspended Lalit Modi. Amin is a BCCI vice president and the head of the Baroda Cricket Association, and is a member of the IPL's Governing Council. He is also the Chairman and Managing Director of Alembic Pharmaceuticals. BCCI President, Shashank Manohar had been offered the post, but he refused it, whereupon Amin was appointed.

Addressing the media after the council meeting, Shashank Manohar said that Ratnakar Shetty has also been appointed to look into all the records of the IPL, since many of the documents are missing and the BCCI has been unable to furnish some documents that the Income Tax Department has asked of them.

Manohar opened the media briefing by saying, "The commercial aspect of a great property like the IPL is an important thing. However, ethics and transparency are more important. In the last 15 days, a lot of allegations and counter-allegations have been there in the media. The Board has looked into the allegations levelled and took the decision to issue a show-cause notice to Mr. Modi, and, pending inquiry, decided to suspend him.

"But since the tournament was on, we didn't want any problems caused and didn't want to disrupt the tournament in any way. The show-cause notice was sent only after the presentation ceremony was over."

Manohar left a window of opportunity open for Modi to come out of the proceedings unscathed, saying, "After receiving a reply from Mr. Modi, the Board will hold an inquiry. But if Mr. Modi's reply convinces the members, then the proceedings will be dropped."

On Mr. Ratnakar Shetty's appointment, Manohar said, "We have appointed Mr. Shetty to look into all the records because many of the documents are missing from the IPL offices. Everyday, the Income Tax Department is asking for the documents and we don't have them in our custody. Therefore we have asked Mr. Shetty to look into all these aspects and collect the documents."

Manohar defended himself and the BCCI on charges of lack of professionalism, saying that every organization functioned on trust, and that the Governing Council members often had their hands tied with regard to approving contracts.

"I don't understand your definition of professionalism," Manohar said. "All of us at the BCCI work as honorary members, which means we don't get paid for our time here. But the IPL is a great property and a valuable one, therefore we appointed professionals like IMG - who have conducted high profile events such Wimbledon and FIFA World Cups - and are paying them Rs. 27 crore per year. We appointed a CEO in Sundar Raman, and we appointed separate staff for the IPL.

"Any institution functions on trust. Even in a corporate set-up, the managing director does not check what everybody is doing. If I have to do all the jobs myself, why would I need a secretary or a work force?"

Elaborating on the modus operandi that was followed in signing contracts, Manohar said that most of the contracts that had to be approved were brought before the Governing Council after they were signed, thus presenting the Council with a fait accompli, which left them no option. He cited one such incident with regard to the IPL Awards that were held on the 23rd April.

"I came here (to Bombay) three days ago to look though the documents in light of the ongoing controversy. I called Sundar Raman and asked for the contracts of the function for the IPL Awards, and he said there were no contracts since everything was finalized just last night. He told me this at 3 p.m. and the awards were to be held at 7 p.m. So in this case, what can the Governing Council do? Can we say that we reject this contract and the function is over? This is an example of how some things were beyond the Council's control."

On Modi's suspension, Manohar said that it was not a punishment, but merely a necessary step since allegations had to be investigated in a free and fair manner.

"It is the duty of the board to look into all the allegations made and to have a free and fair inquiry. It is necessary to suspend a person so that there is no scope for interfering. Suspension is not a punishment. It is, as i said, only there so that a free and fair inquiry can be held."

The charges being investigated against Lalit Modi were the following:

* The initial bids for the Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals

* The broadcasting bid for the IPL

* Rigging the bid for the two new franchises

* The internet rights of the IPL

* The behavioural pattern of Lalit Modi

Manohar also elaborated on the holding pattern of the Rajasthan Royals, where he revealed that the initial bid was made by a company called Emerging Media based out of the United Kingdom, owned solely by one person - Mr. Manoj Badale. However, the documents were signed by an entity called Jaipur IPL. He questioned how the bid was filed by one party and the documents signed by another. He also said that, "Modi made a statement that the entire world knows who are the owners of the franchises, but the fact is that even the Governing Council members are not aware of that."

Meanwhile, Modi seemed unflustered by the entire controversy. Writing on his twitter page, he said "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. Had a restful day. Been in the spa all day. Much needed rest."