Son-in-law’s arrest could lead to board chief’s arrest.
By R. Chandrasekaran
CHENNAI: A power struggle is brewing within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest and most influential national cricket organization in the world, just days after a premier league it runs was rocked by a betting scandal.
Three players, including former India star S. Sreesanth, were arrested in Mumbai, on May 16, for under-performing in return for money from bookies. They are accused of what is called “spot-fixing” during some Indian Premier League matches. Spot-fixing refers to fixing certain key moments within the match — such as how many minimum runs will be scored in a particular over — rather than fixing the overall outcome of the match.
On Friday, the scandal reached the highest echelons of BCCI, when Gurunath Meiyappan, a son-in-law of the board president Narayanswamy Srinivasan, was arrested in Mumbai for betting on IPL matches.
Meiyappan is an executive of IPL Chennai Super Kings, or CSK, which is incidentally owned by India Cements Ltd, headed by Srinivasan.
Srinivasan’s ownership of an IPL franchise, while running cricket in India through BCCI, has been criticized by many even before the scandal came to light. In fact, one of his predecessors, A.C. Muthiah, is engaged in a legal battle with Srinivasan over the issue.
At the time of the arrest of Sreesanth and his IPL Rajasthan Royals teammates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, Srinivasan had said that the league was not tainted and only a few rotten apples were involved in spot-fixing. He had vowed that the board will do all that it can to prevent such incidents in future.
The arrest of the three cricketers have led to a lot of interesting flow of information on the modalities of spot fixing and how the betting was taking place. It also led to the arrest of a Bollywood actor, Vindoo Dara Singh, which in turn resulted in the apprehension of Meiyappan.
Now with the arrest of his son-in-law, the BCCI president’s detractors are joining hands to oust him. Some are even calling for the termination of CSK, citing BCCI rules which stipulate that if an owner of a team involves in a betting, the particular team can be terminated from the IPL.
No doubt the arrest of Meiyappan has come as a big embarrassment for the BCCI and Srinivasan, even though India Cements now says Meiyappan is not the owner, the CEO, or principal of CSK. Reports indicate that Meiyappan was actively involved in CSK’s running.
The first to seek Srinivasan’s resignation was Sahara Group’s Subrata Roy, who recently had a fallout with BCCI. Roy, a long-term patron of Indian cricket, recently pulled out his team, Pune Warriors, from IPL. Sahara has also said it will terminate its sponsorship of the Indian cricket team when the current contract ends. However, Roy disclosed that he is ready to continue the sponsorship of the team if Srinivasan leaves the BCCI.
Others who have demanded the BCCI chief’s exit include Muthiah and D.P. Tripathi, who is an associate of Sharad Pawar, another former BCCI president and head of Nationalist Congress Party.
Meanwhile, the former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who was ousted by BCCI, has demanded the termination of the CSK team from the IPL. He said in a television interview, “They (CSK) should not exist. There contract should be cancelled and a new auction should be held for the franchise.”
Sensing that the mood both within the BCCI and outside, some BCCI officials are seeking to bring back another former president, Shashank Manohar, to run the embattled board for the time being. Manohar, who is considered a troubleshooter, has reportedly agreed to head the BCCI on a temporary basis till the fresh elections are held for the president’ post that is likely to be in September.
Citing the removal of former board president Jagmohan Dalmiya and IPL chairman Lalit Modi on charges of corruption, some are asking the board to take a similar action against the current president.
Information Mumbai police are going to glean from Meiyappan will be key to Srinivasan’s fate. Media reports suggest that he is not cooperating with the police. Some see it as a ploy to facilitate the smooth conduct of the IPL final on May 26, which incidentally features CSK. If damaging information comes out before that, CSK might face potential disqualification, they argue.
Despite pressures from various quarters, including from Union Minister Kamal Nath, Srinivasan is unmoved so far. He told the media, “I have done nothing wrong. I have no intention to resign. I cannot be bulldozed or railroaded into resigning by the pressure being applied. BCCI will follow strictly all its rules. The law will take its course.”
However, the involvement of the celebrities and those close to team owners has undoubtedly tarnished the image of cricket in general and the IPL, in particular. This was quite evident when the television viewership slumped by more than 10 percent after the betting scandal erupted.
It is likely that Sinivasan may be removed from the job after the IPL final on Sunday, if the involvement of Meiyappan with the bookies is established. CSK faces the threat of disqualification. In both the events, the matter could likely reach the court room.
To contact the author, e-mail: rchandrasekaran@americanbazaaronline.com