Gurunath Meiyappan found guilty of betting and passing information by Mudgal Committee report

Gurunath Meiyappan has been found guilty of betting and passing of information by Mudgal committee report

Chennai Super Kings’ Gurunath Meiyappan has been found guilty of betting and passing of team information during Indian Premier League(IPL) 2013 by the Justice Mukul Mudgal led committee in its 170-page report which it submitted to the Supreme Court earlier this morning.

The report said that Meiyappan, the son-in-law of current BCCI President N.Srinivasan, had fixed and placed bets on IPL matches in the 2013 edition of the tournament.

The report, however, says that more investigation is required to come to a conclusion regarding the culpability or non-culpability of Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra.

The Mudgal Committee was formed in October 2013 after allegations of spot fixing and betting had rocked the IPL. The report was compiled after recording statements of players, journalists and officials associated with the IPL.

The details of the report can have serious repercussions not only on the future of the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals but also on the course that the Indian Premier League will take going forward. The franchises may be scrapped from the IPL if the owners are found guilty as mentioned in the IPL Governing Council’s constitution.

The probe has focused on the activities of Meiyappan whose involvement with the franchise has been denied by the Chennai Super Kings ever since the scandal broke out. Meiyappan’s involvement with the team though has been well documented.

The report also raises questions ahead of the player auctions for the 2014 edition of the tournament which are scheduled for February 12th and whether or not it should take place under the current circumstances. The Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals, the two teams under the spotlight, have both retained 5 players for the upcoming season of the IPL.

Here are some of the key features of the 170-page report submitted by the Mudgal Committee :

• The report rejects N.Srinivasan’s claim that Meiyappan was just a ‘cricket enthusiast’ and calls Meiyappan ‘the face of Chennai Super Kings’.
• Report says more time required to probe charges against Rajasthan Royals’ Raj Kundra.
• Report makes suggestion to BCCI to recruit retired armed force personnel and police officers to handle cases of corruption and match fixing
• Report states that Srinivasan holding post of BCCI President and owning an IPL franchise is a serious conflict of interest and needs to be looked into.
• Report says former players like Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, V Prasad, Kumble should advise youngsters about the malaise of fixing.