There was a time when the name Lalit Modi was the biggest thing in Indian cricket, probably at par with people like Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. The major reason behind this was that he had helped bring about the Indian Premier League that virtually made BCCI the wealthiest, and thereby the most powerful, body in global cricket. It seemed that he was headed for the big time but in 2010, it was discovered that not everything that he was doing was in the spirit of the great game and soon he had to leave behind the very phenomenon he had created and the ones that he had helped ascend to the highest echelons of influence in the global game.
However, things have come to such a head that he now faces a ban from the BCCI that had instituted a disciplinary panel to look into Modi’s activities and found them to be serious contraventions of matters like conduct and discipline. Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, has stated in a media statement that Modi had been chucked out of the board for the rest of his life and would never be able to hold any post in the said organization.
This ruling also implies that he shall never be able to enjoy any rights that are the sole preserve of the administrators and will never be allowed to be a part of a committee of the said organization as a member or an associate member. Modi was incidentally found to have manipulated the bids when the franchises were being auctioned during 2010 and also sold internet and media rights without having the authority to do so. He had also tried to start a rebel league in England that neither the BCCI nor the ECB were aware of.
Modi’s lawyers had tried their level best to make sure that BCCI meeting where he was announced guilty could be put off or delayed somehow but the Supreme Court rejected their request. Modi is presently living in London and is also facing investigation from the Indian government for accusations of money laundering and corruption. However, as is usual he has negated every charge leveled at him. Now the question that comes up immediately is that was Modi the only one who did all this and did he not have the support of anyone else? Common sense would dictate that the chances of that happening are little less. The next question then would be – will the other culprits ever be brought to justice and if they shall ever be punished?
Modi, incidentally, has stated that he will not leave the matter and intends to come hard at the present BCCI top brass. He has also threatened that he would reveal several secrets of the BCCI – question is what does the richest cricketing body have that it needs to hide? Things are surely going to get interesting down the line.
