modi

Cricket: Ten reasons why the BCCI opposes DRS (Humour)

Ten reasons why the BCCI steadfastly refuses to utilize the Decision Review System (DRS) in bilateral series involving India:

10) BCCI honchos believe DRS stands for Debatable Review System.

9) Test umpires paid off the BCCI to oppose the system.

8) BCCI members feel left out of the process; if this decision is taken out of their hands, what will board members convene a press conference for?

7) The BCCI have yet to form a committee to weigh pros and cons of the system.

6) DRS research files are with Lalit Modi. It is too embarrassing for the BCCI to request them back now.

5) BCCI officials do not agree with the term "snickometer". It sounds too much like "snickermeter" or "sniggermeter’". A retrospective fallout.

4) The BCCI have not received permission from the defence ministry to import the system.  It is military equipment, after all. The Indian government wishes to build HotSpot indigenously instead.

3) The BCCI would rather wait for FIFA to first approve goal-line technology. Heaven forbid that they be perceived as more progressive than the world’s foremost soccer body.

2) The memo approving the system is pending with Messr Sharad Pawar. The honourable minister desires to table a motion before parliament.

1) "Call us bully-boys, will ya? Let’s behave so."

Quote of the day: The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. – George Bernard Shaw

Lalit Modi, Shashi Tharoor short-listed for IOA presidency (Satire)

Following the arrest of Suresh Kalmadi by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) are frantically looking out for a successor to the high profile minister.

Two names have been short-listed.

The first is former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi who is currently in London.

The other name bandied about is former Minister of External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor.

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IPL: Sunny Gavaskar hits the headlines, Kochi decision on Wednesday

Sunny Gavaskar hits the deadlines once more; this time it is his links with the Kochi franchise that have drawn flak from all quarters.

The Indian batting legend , the first cricketer to score 10,000 runs and surpass Don Bradman’s 29 tons, is mulling over an offer from the Gaikwads, the Rendezvous group owners, to handle all matters cricketing.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise and there exists speculation about Gavaskar’s role in the bidding process as a possible conflict of interest ; the master batsman was then on the IPL governing council.

(The  fallout between Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor was the result of allegations that Tharoor sought Modi’s interference in the bidding process to ensure that the Kochi group’s bid would be successful.)

Gavaskar is no longer a part of the IPL set-up; he quit the re-constituted governing council citing differences with the BCCI.

Was the conflict of interest a reason for the differences? If yes, why then was just the super accumulator penalised?

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IPL: The octopus spreads its tentacles to South Africa, Kochi and Lalit Modi in troubled waters

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Cricket South Africa (CSA) reminded us that the tentacles of the IPL mess are not restricted to just Indian and English shores.

CSA have terminated an external investigation into the bonuses paid by Lalit Modi to CSA chief executive Gerald Majola and 40 other staff during the IPL’s second season.

The IPL was moved to South Africa in 2009 following the Indian government’s refusal to provide adequate security for the event because of the clash with the general election. The security apparatus of the state could not be stretched to meet both concerns.

A payment of 4.7 million rands was made to Majola and his associates.

The South African opposition has slammed the switch to an internal investigation as ‘disappointing’.

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) is known to be investigating the payment back in India as apparently there was no tax paid on the foreign exchange transfers.

IPL Road: Kochi dilly-dallies, Modi prevaricates

It has been ominously quiet on the IPL front over the past few days.

Except for news reports that the Enforcement Directorate is studying the BCCI filed FIR against the abrasive Lalit Modi, to fructify their case against his willingness (or unwillingness) to respond to their inquiries. There has been little to report in the Indian press or media.

Lalit Modi and his lawyer claim that they have yet to receive a copy of the FIR filed by the BCCI; this is, of course, a classic delaying tactic to fob off the media until they have studied the ramifications and can respond to the allegations in a coherent manner.

The jurisdiction of the Chennai police has been questioned by Modi and his lawyer.

The ED has issued a Look Out notice that will have Mr. Modi detained at all Indian ports if he attempts to enter the country; the IPL ex-honcho shows no inclination to oblige the authorities, preferring to remain in London with token noises about answering any queries via video conference.

Meanwhile, there still seems no resolution to the dispute within the Kochi consortium with the warring parties unable to come to any sort of arrangement as yet.

Rendezvous, who hold the major chunk of sweat equity are at loggerheads with the other co-owners, namely Anchor Earth, Parinee Developers, Anand Shyam Estates and Vivek Venugopal. Only Filmwave Combines are fine with letting Rendezvous continue in the Kochi consortium with management control.

Rendezvous are willing to buy their sweat equity as long as they retain a say in management matters but doubts are expressed by their partners about the source of their funding and whether the infusion of funds would pass muster with the IT department and ED.

Shashi Tharoor has not been consulted this time around; it is considered best to keep the politician at bay while discussing business matters.

The clock is ticking for the Kochi franchisee and the BCCI must be hoping for a quick resolution, or else it will be a case of even more mud-slinging in the media.

Sunanda Pushkar, now Tharoor’s spouse, has relinquished her stake and is thus no longer a factor in the mediation.

Is this the lull before the storm? Or is it the eye of the storm?

The road to IPL 4 has never seemed more bumpy or more full of obstacles and potholes. Will road rage win the day?

Note: This is an updated version of the earlier article.

The IPL Mess: BCCI twists and turns its way out!

The twists and turns in the sordid IPL drama get hairier, by the day!

BCCI’s Srinivasan has filed an FIR in Chennai against Lalit Modi accusing him of defrauding the BCCI to the tune of Rs. 470 crores.

Readers might be aware that Mr. Lalit Modi is currently in London and refuses to return to India fearing for his life.

His weapon of choice against any and all charges is his Twitter account. Talk about social media pressure!

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IPL Musings – II

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Now that IPL 3 is finished & done and Chennai Super Kings rule supreme with their name engraved on the (hideous) trophy, a few more thoughts on the IPL and the final:

1> No team has won the title more than once but then we are only in the 3rd edition of the IPL. The final between CSK and Mumbai Indians ensured that there would be a fresh champion once more.

2> The 3rd and 4th place match was a replay of last year’s final with Royal Challengers Bangalore having some semblance of  sweet revenge for last year’s loss to the Chargers, though Kumble might not agree! Bangalore now go onto the T20 Champions Trophy! Just to remind you that none of the IPL teams featured in the semi-finals of last year’s T20 Champions tournament.

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