IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla on Saturday resigned from the high-profile position in the wake of the raging spot-fixing scandal that has rocked Indian cricket, piling up pressure on N. Srinivasan to follow suit.
A day before the emergency meeting of the Working Committee in Chennai, Mr. Shukla took the decision to quit saying that he felt it necessary to do so in the light of the recent developments.
“I have decided to quit as IPL chairman. It is a decision which I was pondering over for some time. I think it is time to step down,” Mr. Shukla told
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Mr. Shukla said that he also took into account the resignations of BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke before taking the decision to step down.
“Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke resigned in the best interest of Indian cricket. I thought this is the right time,” he said.
Mr. Shukla’s resignation just a day ahead of the emergency Working Committee Meeting in Chennai is bound to put more pressure on under-fire Mr. Srinivasan to quit from the president’s post.
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“I was given the task of IPL chairmanship which I tried to perform to the best of my abilities. The tournament was organized well despite all the controversies. The stadiums were jam-packed which proved that IPL was still popular,” Mr. Shukla said.
He said that he never hankered for any position and was only discharging the responsibilities given to him.
“I have never hankered for any position in the BCCI. I will serve cricket in whatever role I am given,” he said.