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!

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate may slap a criminal case as well against Mr. Modi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

A case filed under its auspices would allow for the extradition of Lalit Modi from the UK.

A concurrent investigation of the IPL franchisees reveals a money trail to the British Virgin Islands and Mauritius.

It is not known when details from other tax havens will be available to the ED.

But we can rest assured that the IPL will remain in the news for some more time, and not for the right reasons.

It is unlikely that Lalit Modi will return to the country in the near future with his lawyer Mehmood Abdi claiming a vendetta being launched against his client by Mr. Srinivasan.

It is to be recalled that Mr. Srinivasan is a co-owner in the Chennai Super Kings franchise. The BCCI has papered over his conflict of interest saying that they were informed about his stake in the franchise.

In another development, the Kings XI franchisee are expected to approach either the Chandigarh or Bombay High Court to restrain the BCCI from finalising its expulsion. The Rajasthan Royals prefer to negotiate with the BCCI instead.

All in all, it’s been an interesting week for the IPL and the BCCI.

We await more tweets from Modi!

Quote of the day:I’m astounded by people who want to ‘know’ the universe when it’s hard enough to find your way around Chinatown. – Woody Allen