Suspended IPL boss replies to rebel league charges

Suspended Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi has responded to allegations that he tried to set up a rebel league in England without the knowledge of cricket chiefs, his lawyer said Tuesday.

English cricket boss Giles Clarke last month contacted the Indian board detailing Modi’s alleged plans to involve English counties in an IPL-style tournament featuring top stars.

Secret meeting

Clarke said Modi had held a secret meeting with officials from Lancashire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire in New Delhi on March 31 to discuss the proposal without the knowledge of the boards concerned.

“Modi sent his reply by email on Monday night and I will submit a hard copy of the reply to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) today,” lawyer Mehmood Abdi told reporters.

Abdi declined to reveal the contents of the reply amid unconfirmed reports that Modi’s lawyers in England had sent a legal notice to Clarke to withdraw the allegation.

The BCCI had asked Modi to explain the move, which it said was “detrimental to Indian cricket, English cricket and world cricket at large”.

Modi on May 15 replied to separate charges of corruption and indiscipline levelled by the BCCI after he was suspended as chairman of the glitzy Twenty20 tournament.

Allegations

The BCCI, which owns the IPL, ordered a probe into allegations of corruption, tax evasion and money-laundering in the tournament after the government launched an investigation.

Modi was also stood down as a BCCI vice-president and as chairman of the T20 Champions League, a separate club tournament organised jointly by India, Australia and South Africa.

The charges against Modi include rigging IPL bids, holding proxy stakes in teams and receiving kickbacks in return for broadcasting deals.

One-man show

Modi, 46, had run the IPL as a virtual one-man show since its inception three years ago, creating a heady and lucrative blend of star-studded cricket, big business and Bollywood glamour. His troubles began in April when he revealed the ownership details of a new franchise set to join the tournament in 2011.

He embarrassed a high-profile member of the government, junior foreign minister Shashi Tharoor, by leaking on the Twitter micro-blogging site how Tharoor’s girlfriend had been given a free stake in the new team.

Under pressure from the opposition, which accused Tharoor of misusing his office to secure benefit for himself, the minister was forced to resign.

NEW DELHI, AFP