With pressure building by the day, the first round of what many fear will be a long-drawn battle between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi is all set to take place on April 26, a day after this edition of Twenty20 concludes in Mumbai.
On Wednesday, Mr. Modi contested the BCCI's decision to convene the IPL General Council meeting without his approval, setting the stage for a bitter combat between the rival camps. He is said to be seeking time to prepare his defence since he would be busy with the conduct of the remaining IPL matches.
The BCCI has obviously taken a serious view and planned some drastic steps that would be discussed at the meeting.
“The meeting is expected to be a landmark one as far as we are concerned. It involves the IPL's future, but essentially it would set the tone for future cricket administration,” a senior board official said.
The opinion on Mr. Modi within the BCCI is divided, and efforts were on in both camps to salvage the situation.
Apart from Mr. Modi, the high profile IPL General Council consists of BCCI president Shashank Manohar, BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan, BCCI joint secretary Sanjay Jagdale, BCCI treasurer M.P. Pandove, IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah, Punjab Cricket Association president I.S. Bindra, BCCI vice-presidents Chirayu Amin and Arun Jaitley, Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association president Farooq Abdullah, and former captains M.A.K. Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri.
Mr. Modi, meanwhile, has adopted a defiant posture. “Will not resign” has been his refrain, creating concern among BCCI officials, particularly those who are convinced that he has to give up his post as the IPL boss.
Mr. Modi, now under intense scrutiny from various official agencies, also faces the wrath of some key BCCI officials for having dragged them into the controversy.
‘Bad image of game'
“The IPL may have been a successful venture but it has created a bad image of the game. All kinds of allegations have been made and we have to take cognisance of them. It is not a whisper campaign anymore. The government is going hammer and tongs at the BCCI. Taxmen knocking at your door can't be good news for anyone and the BCCI has been in the news for all the wrong reasons the past few days,” bemoaned the official.
The campaign to remove Mr. Modi from the IPL and the BCCI may have gained momentum, but sources insisted it would not be a cakewalk for his detractors.
“There are certain norms that we follow at the BCCI. We all know the crisis began with the recent bidding process and there have been allegations of irregularities. Our main worry has been reports of betting and match-fixing. We have to take note of these charges,” the BCCI official said.
The campaign against Mr. Modi gathered pace recently. “We were sick of his autocratic functioning. He was taking decisions on his own. We have received complaints from some former cricketers on how they were publicly humiliated by Modi,” the official said.
This issue of humiliation of former players (Sunil Valson and Narendra Hirwani) will come up for discussion at the BCCI Working Committee meeting on May 4.
“The growing feeling in the BCCI is that Modi has to go. The IPL may have been his creation, but then it was possible only with the blessings of the BCCI. We can't ignore the personal allegations against Modi because he is part of the BCCI too. He has to come clean. We want him to step aside until his name is cleared by the investigating agencies,” the official said.
Asked whether the eight team owners can have a say in picking the new commissioner for the tournament, he said, “No. The IPL is a tournament conducted by the BCCI and we have the authority to pick the commissioner.”
Conceding that Mr. Modi created a successful event like the IPL and filled up the BCCI coffers, the official added: “We are also concerned with the welfare of our players, especially the younger generation. We don't want them to be distracted [by compulsorily attending late-night parties] because we take pains to groom them and present them as role models. Some of the trends at the IPL are not at all healthy.”
The contest between the BCCI and Mr. Modi has only just begun.
