Indian Cricket Chief Fights Corruption Claims
Lalit Modi
said on his Twitter account: "I am still chairman of IPL. Just suspended. Wait - we have just begun."The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended Modi as it began an internal probe into the claims.
The Indian Government is carrying out a separate tax investigation.
Modi, 46, was also removed 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.
In keeping with his image as the flash businessman with a taste for luxury, he added that he had spent Monday, the day of his suspension, relaxing in a spa.
"Had a restful day," he wrote. "Much needed rest."
The IPL is based on the shortened, made-for-TV Twenty20 format and modelled partly on English football's Premier League. It has attracted the sport's top international stars.
The flamboyant impresario turned the league into one of the world's most profitable sporting events.
Just a few years after its launch the IPL was valued at more than $4bn. Forbes called it the world's fastest growing sports business.
Modi ran the IPL like a one-man show from its inception raising fears that without him the multi-billion-dollar tournament could suffer from lack of direction.
But on the night of the final Modi was axed amid weeks of relentless allegations of fraud and corruption.
The scandal involves a heady mix of cricket, film stars and politicians.
Shashi Tharoor, a junior foreign minister, was forced to resign when Modi leaked details of his involvement in a new team franchise.
Under pressure from the opposition, the finance ministry was forced to launch a wide ranging tax probe into the league, India's cricket board and the team's owners - all powerful business and Bollywood figures.
Modi has threatened to name the men he claims that have really brought the game into disrepute but has so far remained silent.
This scandal is threatening to become as explosive as the IPL tournament itself.
The BCCI, which owns the IPL has moved quickly to try to ensure continuity.
Businessman Chirayu Amin, one of five BCCI vice-presidents and a veteran cricket administrator, was appointed to head the tournament's governing council as interim chief.
Former national captains Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri, all members of the governing council, were put in charge of looking after future editions of the tournament.
The furore comes as two more franchises are to be added to the existing eight teams from next year and a fresh auction of cricketers is due later this year.
"The immediate task is to clean up the IPL. That is the priority right now," said Amin. "We will then start planning for next year."
With the fourth edition of the tournament 12 months away, the BCCI
has time on its side to take control of the event's complex organisation.Memon said it would not be easy to replicate the hype of the past three years, in which a spectacular mix of sport and Bollywood glamour made the IPL a massive success.
"It remains to be seen how the (BCCI) board handles the IPL," he said. "There is bound to be a dent in perception and some apprehension on how it can be sustained.
"But the structure is in place, as are the players, the franchises, the sponsors, the venues.
"The litmus test will be the players' auction. If the BCCI can pass that one, it should be a smooth ride after that. But the IPL will not be the same again."
Already various state associations are clamouring to organise IPL matches themselves, instead of leaving it to tournament officials.
"We organise Test and one-day matches with a lot of success. What's the big deal about a few Twenty20 matches?" asked Delhi cricket official Sunil Dev.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell said the BCCI needed to clean up the IPL to ensure its enduring success.
"The virtues of the IPL are many," Chappell wrote on the Cricinfo website.
"It attracts new fans to the game, rewards players generously and generally provides highly competitive contests because of well-matched teams.
"But the BCCI needs to put in place provisions to ensure the path ahead is fiscally responsible; the public may be fascinated by riches but they quickly become disillusioned with greed."
