Lashing out at the BCCI for converting Indian public to "zombies of cricket" by foisting tournaments like IPL "tamasha", former Sports Minister MS Gill asked the Board to have some sanity in its thinking and shift the matches of the lucrative T20 competition out of drought-hit Maharashtra. Gill, who served as the Union Sports Minister from April 2008 to May 2009 and currently a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, was reacting after Bombay High Court raised questions on why water should be "wasted" on hosting IPL matches in Maharashtra when the state is facing one of its worst-ever droughts. In total, 20 IPL matches are scheduled to be held in Maharashtra in three venues -- Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. "The drought condition in Maharashtra is so severe that in a few days people in areas like Marathawada will not even have a glass of water to drink. As a former Sports Minister and ex-Agriculture Secretary, I know that several parts of Maharashtra are bone dry and I am amazed that in this situation the BCCI wants to hold these IPL matches," Gill told PTI.
Suspended Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi on Sunday said his voluminous reply to the first BCCI showcause notice is not to defend himself but salvage the image of the Twenty20 event. 'My reply is not about defending Lalit Modi. It's about defending brand IPL,' Modi tweeted.
Ending the suspense over his attendance, IPL Chairman Lalit Modi on Sunday said he would be present at Monday's Governing Council meeting.
Disgraced former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has expressed a vehement stance against the new ICC decision giving "greater control" to 'Big Three'- India, Australia and England, saying that it will destroy the game.
The crisis over the Indian Premier League notwithstanding, former Pakistan captains Aamir Sohail and Javed Miandad believe the cash-awash Twenty20 event would continue no matter what happens to the fate of its under-fire Commissioner Lalit Modi.
Serious money has finally found its way into Indian sport.
The Indian Premier League has fixed a five-minute period, split into two equal halves, for the mandatory strategic time-outs during the third edition of the Twenty20 event starting March 12.
Salman Khan could become the latest Bollywood superstar to join the Indian Premier League bandwagon, with the actor expressing his interest in bidding for a franchise for the 2011 edition of the cash-rich event. Salman met IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi on Wednesday and discussed the procedure to buy a team for the 2011 edition, which will see the addition of two more franchises.
It seems unlikely that all domestic players will be included in the next auction. If sources within the BCCI are to be believed, logistical issues are proving to be a major hurdle in having such a huge number of players.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) will not move out of India despite security fears raised by the players' associations of England, Australia and South Africa, tournament commissioner Lalit Modi insisted. Modi rejected any move to shift the IPL to another country after an independent report complied by ECB security advisor Reg Dickason claimed that safety of cricketers cannot be guaranteed during the cash-awash Twenty20 tournament.
The government will "play by the rule book" and make sure that absolute standards of probity are maintained, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said as the Opposition continued its attack over the Lalit Modi controversy.
India's sports minister Manohar Singh Gill on Friday warned the Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers over serving liquor inside the stadiums during matches.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday brushed aside concerns of Parliament's upcoming monsoon session being disrupted over the Lalit Modi controversy, saying some people may be relevant to TV channels but not to governance.
Scores of Congress workers on Monday protested outside residence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj demanding her resignation for "extending help" to scam-tainted former Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi in procuring travel documents in the United Kingdom.
Disgraced former Indian Premier League Chairman Lalit Modi took to social media to slam BCCI bigwigs Anurag Thakur and Rajiv Shukla for not implementing the Lodha Committee recommendations.
A special court on Tuesday issued an order allowing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to begin extradition proceedings against former IPL chairman Lalit Modi in connection with its money laundering probe against him and others.
Indian Premier League would generate a revenue of $1 billion this season, thanks to huge fan following across the globe, attracting a large number of advertisers, its Commissioner Lalit Modi said on Wednesday.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria has been asked to provide "info" on his statement regarding his meeting with tainted ex-IPL boss Lalit Modi in London.
The IPL has produced more controversies in its short lifespan than any other sporting league in history.
Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has hit out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and it's Disciplinary Committee.
'Lalit Modi repeatedly kept requesting for Mumbai police's intervention against the underworld. I reiterated to Modi and his lawyer that it was imperative for Lalit Modi to return to Mumbai for the Mumbai police to initiate any inquiry. Thereafter, the meeting lasted barely for 15/20 minutes,' the police commissioner said.
The BCCI is set to try out the 'Super Sub' rule in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament next month.
The tussle with the National Anit-Doping Agency (NADA) over dope testing of Indian cricketers will come up for discussion when the much-awaited Special General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is held in New Delhi on December 11.
Secretary of the Indian cricket board, Anurag Thakur, on Saturday, sought to play down health issues of the Board of Control for Cricket in India president Jagmohan Dalmiya, stating that rumours of a communication gap between the duo is a figment of imagination.
City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari asked IPL to reverse its "unfair" decision on shifting venue from Bangalore to Navi Mumbai on security reasons, saying it was taken on the basis of "baseless and false presumption."
The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal has accepted BCCI's submission that the latter's objective is the promotion of cricket and it enjoys the power of holding IPL for achieving its objective, reports Indivjal Dhasmana.
Lalit Modi has been living quite the high life. Here are some photos to prove it.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in response to Opposition demands earlier in the day, made a statement in the House assuring members that "appropriate action as per law" would be taken if any wrongdoing was found in the manner the IPL was funded.
Former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to ask the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee to continue the IPL spot-fixing probe, expressing hope that it will "blow the lid" on corruption in the Twenty20 extravaganza.
Politician Amar Singh was on Wednesday questioned for nearly two hours by a special team of Delhi Police probing the Sunanda Pushkar case after he had recently claimed that she had spoken to him about the Indian Premier League controversy a couple of days before her death.
India all-rounder Suresh Raina rubbished Lalit Modi's claim that he was bribed by an Indian businessman, saying he was never involved in any wrongdoing and is considering legal action against the former IPL Commissioner.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was at the centre of a fresh controversy over reports suggesting that she had recommended former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi for a Padma award in 2007.
The Centre on Friday said it was taking steps to extradite Lalit Modi and a Red Corner notice may soon be issued against him.
I said to myself, why should the player suffer if he was innocent while I went about settling scores with the Board? If I didn't finish the enquiry in time, Shami's career would be harmed and perhaps irretrievably so. I decided to complete the probe within the stipulated time and got going right away.
Rajasthan Royals left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh appeared before the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) chief Ravi Sawani on Saturday and was questioned for close to one and half hours in the ongoing Indian Premier League spot-fixing probe.
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Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was on Monday removed as the Rajasthan Cricket Association president.
The BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit on Thursday said it will launch a probe into an alleged bribery scandal unearthed by a sting operation, which claimed that a member of Indian Premier League chairman Rajeev Shukla's personal staff sought bribes to facilitate selection of players.
"The news of signature by 120 MLAs (in her support) is completely wrong. It is not fair to link a public hearing with a different view," the CMO said.
The ED on Monday contested claims made by the Lalit Modi camp that the former IPL boss will be heard before Interpol issues a red corner notice against him.
Lalit Modi reveals blueprint of breakaway cricket body to rival ICC.
