What he said:
We were taken for a ride. I know we cannot plead before you that we did not know all this was happening. Your question would be, were you not vigilant? What did you do? I am sorry, sir, there is no defence for me. No defence in front of you. So, I am not pleading that at all. We just put our heads down.
N Srinivasan, BCCI Secretary and owner of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), claims that he and his colleagues were hoodwinked by ex-IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.
His remarks were made to Parliament’s Standing Committee on finance when it was discovered that all cheques were signed by Srinivasan—then treasurer— and his successor, MP Pandove.
What he really meant:
“So what if I’m MD of India Cements. Lalit Modi outsmarted us. Believe us, we’re innocents.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“The IPL Governing Council was farcical.”
“Why should they speak out against the board? Will a Congress leader speak against his party in Parliament?”
Kapil Dev makes his opinion known as to whether Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri can be unbiased with their statements in the press box while being simultaneously indentured to the BCCI and providing expert views for Sky Sports.
What he really meant:
“The BCCI functions like a (Indian) political party. Either you toe the party line or you’re out.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Are there any vacant slots for me, in that box?”
1) The Comptroller and Accountant General (CAG) report indicts you…
No comment. I have yet to receive a copy of the report. Can’t I beautify my beloved Delhi for the CommonWealth Games? Should cost be an issue?
2) But it’s a case of Disappearing Beauty….the potted plants are missing from government offices…
Beauty is temporal, isn’t it? Just proving the old adage.
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
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
With the spat between the 2 protagonists of the IPL ‘Twittergate’ now hitting Parliament, i.e. Tharoor’s conduct being questioned by the opposition parties, and with demands for his resignation becoming more strident, my thoughts on Shashi Tharoor and Lalit Modi.
According to global sports salaries review, IPL is the second-highest paid league, based on first-team salaries on a pro-rata basis, second only to the NBA league. |