IPL gets new chief, fresh start, waits to try Modi

Mumbai: Chirayu Amin, businessman and low-profile cricket administrator, was made interim chief of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday. His task--and the BCCI's too--would be to get the league out the taint of scandal.

Amin is a BCCI Vice-President and president of the Baroda Cricket Association. He is also the CMD of Alembic Pharmaceutical, one of the leading drugs companies of the country. "The immediate task is to clean up the IPL. The game has just been concluded and so we will start planning for the next year. That is the priority right now," Amin said after his appointment.

The BCCI’s (Board of Control for Cricket in India) priority too is the IPL, but it is yet to settle the manner with suspended IPL commissioner and chairman Lalit Modi.

The board accused Modi of keeping the IPL Governing Council in the dark and taking decisions without consent of others, but promised him a fair investigation.

"In the last 15 days, there were lots of allegations and counter-allegations made through media as a result of which the board looked into the allegations levelled and took a decision to issue a show cause notice to Lalit Modi and, pending inquiry, decided to suspend him. The board will hold, after receiving a reply from Mr. Modi, an inquiry if necessary. If the reply or Mr Modi convinces the members, the proceedings will be dropped," said BCCI president Shashank Manohar.

Manohar said that it was important to suspend Modi so that a free and fair investigation could be conducted. "For free and fair enquiry it was necessary to suspend Modi so that he cannot interfere with the enquiry process," he said.

Manohar also said that BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty will look into the documents which are reportedly missing. "We have also asked Professor Shetty to look into the documents as many documents are missing. Every day Income Tax department is asking for documents and we don't have them. So professor Shetty will look into the missing documents and will collect the documents.".

Manohar absolved Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, saying neither the senior politician nor his relatives were involved in bidding for IPL teams.

He ruled out any political interference in the functioning of the BCCI saying as far he was concerned nobody can change his decisions.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)