In an interview to NDTV’s Barkha Dutt, actor Preity Zinta says there are no benami holdings or proxy owners in her IPL team, Kings XI. She also says that IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi should be given a fair trial (he stands accused of financial crimes) and asserts “of course IPL will survive this.”
Here’s the full transcript of the interview:
NDTV: For the past ten days the headlines of this country has been dominated by what has been called as the IPL gate, but now many people are asking how this thing is going to end. Is this is all about cleaning up the governance of cricket? Is that what’s going to happen or is political shadow boxing of a kind overtaking the entire controversy? What about the morale of the owners, where do they stand? And what will happen to Lalit Modi and the game of cricket and brand of IPL? Joining us now in her first interview since this controversy erupted is co-owner of Kings XI Punjab and well known actor and an entrepreneur Preity Zinta. Preity, It must be terribly disturbing for people like yourselves to watch what’s happening to a brand that was once the most glamorous coveted brand in this country…
Two Bookies hold stakes in Sri Lanka Premier League.
29 May 2013 01:00,
Mumbai, May 29, 2013 | UPDATED 12:38 IST There could be a angle to the Indian Premier League (IPL) , Mumbai Police sources indicated on Wednesday. According to crime branch sources, arrested actor Vindu Dara Singh has told the investigators that two bookies, named Sanjay and Pawan, were the “benami” owners of one of the franchises in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), a Twenty-20 tournament modelled on the lines of the IPL. Talking to Headlines Today over phone, former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga said the government must act to clear the suspicion involving the SLPL. He said he had forewarned about corruption when the SLPL was in the planning stage.
I have been following the unfolding of the IPl6 Match Spot fixing for the past few days and had my suspicions on the BCCI,Temam Franchisees and even ICC.
Gurunath Meiyappan , CSK Boss with MS Dhoni
I indicated this in some of my posts filed under.Cricket”
Unfolding events seem to confirm my suspicions that the tops Administrators,IPl Franchisees BCCI, ICC, apart from more Players are involved in this scandal.
1, IPL Commissioner, BCCI.
a)Why did it take quite some time for the IPL Commissioner to comment on the scandal and that too in a very casual manner, dismissing this as an incident involving only he players being questioned when even the preliminary investigation was not on?
His latest comment as reported in dnaindia on Gurunath’s Involvement, raises the suspicions further for the same courtesy and primness was not evident when Sreesanth and the others were arrested?
”
“The Mumbai and Delhi Police are competent authorities and let them finish the investigations before jumping to any conclusions,” Shukla replied when asked whether Srinivasan should step down from the post of BCCI President accepting moral responsibility for the scandal.
“How can you term anyone guilty before the investigations are completed? Let the Police report be submitted and then we will be in a better position to talk further,” Shukla said.”
b) BCCI said, in the wake of Lalit Modi affair and match fixing in international matches, that it had personnel to monitor the movement of players, support staff and others to prevent match fixing?
What were they doing when all this drama took place?
Were they appointed at all?
c) Why no body from BCCI is making no sound bytes on this scandal, when they acted with alacrity in Modi’s case?
d) Vindu Singh’s naming of an IPL Franchisee as ‘Betting'( does he mean PWI Owner?)-what action do you propose?
Nothing?
2) To ICC.
a) Why a muted Reaction to the whole affair?
b) What was your ACU doing?
Or IPL can not be touched by ICC because of BCCI clout?
Or IPL is not under the purview of ICC?
c) If you say that the charges are not proved and you can not comment and take action, how come you banned Asad Rauf, the Umpire on the basis of Times of India report stating that he was sent gifts(undelivered) by the Bookies?
Asad Rauf
d) By the same principle you should have suspended these players, Sreesanth,Ankit and Chandila.
3) To Franchisees.
a) How is it that you control everything about the Players, and not about those who move with suspicious characters, especially in the same Hotel?
Story:
Until September 2008, BCCIregulation, Clause 6.2.4, kept in check players, administrators, managers, umpires and team officials, barring them from having direct or indirect commercial interests in any BCCI event.
But this conflict of interest proviso was reduced to a dead letter by the cricket body, paving the way for its president N Srinivasan to own Chennai Super Kings. A five-year litigation by former BCCI chief AC Muthiah in Madras HC in 2008 — now pending before the SC after a split verdict on April 28, 2011 — shows how amendments introduced at an AGM in Mumbai were tailored for Srinivasan. These enabled him to don the conflicting roles of ‘IPL tender’s designer’ and Chennai franchisee’s bidder. Srinivasan was BCCI honorary treasurer and president of TN Cricket Association when he acquired CSK in 2008.”
“PAKISTANI umpire Asad Rauf has been withdrawn from next month’s Champions Trophy tournament in England.
His withdrawal has sparked suggestions he is under Indian police investigation for spot-fixing, the International Cricket Council said overnight.
The announcement comes a week after police arrested three cricketers, including Test fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, accusing them of deliberately bowling badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars during the current Indian Premier League.
The ICC said the decision was made after media reports on Wednesday “that the Mumbai police are conducting an investigation” into Rauf’s activities.
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