Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has accused N Srinivasan in an explosive revelation, the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), of engaging in unethical practices to benefit Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Modi’s claims have raised serious questions about the integrity of the IPL, suggesting that the league was marred by match-fixing and auction manipulation orchestrated by Srinivasan. These allegations come at a time when the IPL has grown into one of the most popular and profitable cricket leagues globally.
What Has Lalit Modi Alleged?
During a candid conversation on Raj Shamani’s YouTube show ‘Figuring Out’, Lalit Modi made startling claims about the behind-the-scenes operations of the IPL. He accused N Srinivasan, who was the secretary of the BCCI at the time, of fixing IPL matches by appointing umpires from Chennai during CSK’s games.
Modi said, “He (N Srinivasan) didn’t like IPL; he didn’t think it would work. But when it became successful, he jumped on the bandwagon. He was a member and secretary of the board, and my biggest adversary. I went up against him, so he resorted to umpire fixing. He even admitted it, and I accused him for it.”
Modi further went on to explain how Srinivasan would change the umpires for CSK matches and would pick from Chennai. According to Modi, it was a clear-cut case of manipulation and an effort to manipulate the results of the CSK’s matches. “When I tried to expose these practices, he turned completely against me,” Modi stated while underlining the gravity of his accusations.
The Flintoff Controversy
Lalit Modi also threw light on an alleged incident of auction manipulation where he said that N Srinivasan had hatched a plan to get England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff for CSK ahead of the 2009 IPL season. He revealed that a directive was sent to all other franchises instructing them not to bid for Flintoff so that CSK could get him at a bargain.
Modi admitted, “Yes, I did tell everyone not to bid for (Andrew) Flintoff. Srinivasan wanted him, and when you are trying to create an event like the IPL, you need to remove every obstacle in the way.” Modi’s admission is once again indicative of power-play at the League and questioned the auction procedure’s transparent nature.
IPL 2013 Spot Fixing: CSK Under Scanner
The IPL has been marred by several controversies in the past, with the infamous 2013 spot-fixing scandal that involved Chennai Super Kings. Gurunath Meiyappan, who was a key official at CSK and the son-in-law of N Srinivasan, was arrested on charges of cheating, forgery, and fraud as it emerged that he had been in regular contact with bookies and was suspected of indulging in spot-fixing.
After an inquiry, the RM Lodha committee banned Meiyappan for life from cricket, and suspended the IPL teams Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years. Thus CSK had to sit out two seasons of the IPL-in 2016 and 2017. The scandal has definitely left a permanent blot in the reputation of CSK and exposed the vulnerability of the IPL to corruption and manipulation.
Lalit Modi’s allegations have reignited discussions about the integrity of the IPL.The allegations against N Srinivasan, if proven true, could have far-reaching consequences for the league’s credibility and its future.
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