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Srinivasan among 13 named in IPL spot-fixing report, can't run BCCI, tells Supreme Court

April 16, 2014

SrinivasanNew Delhi, Apr 16: N. Srinivasan has been named in a report on the spot-fixing scandal that has beleaguered the Indian Premier League, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday. The names of 12 prominent cricketers also figure in the report. The court stressed that Srinivasan cannot perform any function within India's cricket Board and that its interim order on March 28 will stand. On Tuesday, Srinivasan had filed an affidavit asking the court to reinstate him since he had done no wrong.

The court had removed Srinivasan as BCCI president till the IPL case was properly investigated and the guilty booked. The judges had installed batting legend Sunil Gavaskar as the interim head to manage BCCI's IPL affairs.

The Twenty20 competition, the seventh edition of which begins in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday evening, has been embroiled in allegations of illegal betting and spot-fixing, including against Srinivasan's son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan.

The top court also said that Sundar Raman can continue as the Chief Operating Officer of the Indian Premier League. This was on the basis of Gavaskar's recommendation, the court informed.

The Supreme Court has asked the BCCI to respond how it will conduct a probe into the match-fixing and betting allegations. "We cannot close our eyes after having come to know about the allegations," the two-judge bench said. The next hearing is on April 22.

Srinivasan, according to the probe report, has 12 allegations against him, with annexures to each of them. "It seems that Mr Srinivasan has not taken the allegations seriously," the court said.

The bench said that it is not inclined to order a CBI or SIT probe as it would sully the image of cricketers and undermine the autonomy of cricket Board. "We are not considering the SIT because we don't want the CBI or the police or the media to throw mud on cricketers," Justice AK Patnaik, one of the two judges, said. "Reputations of cricketers and great names are at stake. What happens to the reputation of the players who are representing the country and Indian cricketers of the future. Cricket has to be clean but institutional autonomy has to be maintained," he added.

The Supreme Court is looking at a damning report it commissioned into wrongdoing in last year's IPL when former Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was caught deliberately bowling badly while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in return for thousands of dollars from bookmakers.

Released on February 10, the report also concluded that Srinivasan's son-in-law Meiyappan -- who was a member of the management of the Chennai Super Kings -- could be guilty of illegal betting on IPL games. The Super Kings are owned by India Cements, whose managing director is Srinivasan. Since 2008, the team has been captained by Dhoni.

Here's a look back at the top 10 developments of the 2013 IPL betting and spot-fixing scam (latest first):

1. On April 15, Srinivasan files an affidavit saying the Supreme Court should reinstate him as BCCI president. Srinivasan says he is innocent and allegations of conflict of interest were baseless. He also says that he never tried to hide the real identity of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who has been indicted by a court-appointed inquiry committee for betting and sharing team (Chennai Super Kings) information.

2. On April 11, Supreme Court refuses to hand over to BCCI lawyers the audio recording of statements made by Dhoni, Srinivasan and Indian Premier League Chief Operating Officer Sunder Raman. All three had deposed before the Justice Mukul Mudgal probe panel. The tapes are in a sealed envelope in possession of the bench.

3. On April 11, suspended IPS officer Sampath Kumar wants Special Investigation Team to probe BCCI and players linked with Indian Premier League match-fixing and betting scam. He files a petition in the Supreme Court saying his transfer and suspension from Tamil Nadu crime branch was motivated and an act of a powerful lobby trying to hush up the IPL scandal.

4. On April 9, BCCI moves a petition requesting the Supreme Court to share transcripts of the audio tapes containing conversation between the probe panel and Dhoni among others. The petitioner's counsel charged Dhoni for not revealing the real identity of Meiyappan. Dhoni apparently told the panel that Meiyappan was "an enthusiast" when Srinivasan's son-in-law actually ran the CSK show.

5. On March 28, Supreme Court suspends Srinivasan as BCCI president. In its interim order, the court says Srinivasan will be replaced by former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Shivlal Yadav. Gavaskar was given charge of IPL affairs while Yadav was entrusted with non-IPL issues. This is the first time when a top court 'suspended' a Board official. Court says final hearing on April 16.

6. On March 25, the court slams Srinivasan for corruption in Indian cricket. The judges rebuke the 69-year-old Tamil Nadu strongman for conflict of interest and say he must go to rid cricket of corruption.

7. On March 7, BCCI lawyers tell the Supreme Court not to reveal details in the sealed envelope as it contains "speculative and baseless charges against leading cricketers."

8. On February 10, the Justice Mudgal-led panel submits it report to the Supreme Court. It submits two reports and a sealed envelope that has confidential but unverified content.

9. In October, the Supreme Court appoints a three-member committee headed by a retired judge (Mukul Mudgal) to probe allegations of betting and match-fixing. The panel gets four months to file its report.

10. The case dates back to June 2013 when the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma raised the issue of conflict of interest in the formation of a BCCI commissioned two-member inquiry panel. Retired judges T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian found "no evidence of any wrongdoing" on the part of Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra. Verma filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court. The judges termed the probe panel "illegal". The BCCI challenged the Bombay High Court order in Supreme Court.

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News Network
May 13,2020

May 13: With the Olympics postponed due to the coronavirus, top Japanese fencer Ryo Miyake has swapped his metal mask and foil for a bike and backpack as a Tokyo UberEats deliveryman.

The 29-year-old, who won silver in the team foil at the 2012 London Olympics and was itching to compete in a home Games, says the job keeps him in shape physically and mentally -- and brings in much-needed cash.

"I started this for two reasons -- to save money for travelling (to future competitions) and to keep myself in physical shape," he told AFP.

"I see how much I am earning on the phone, but the number is not just money for me. It's a score to keep me going."

Japanese media have depicted Miyake as a poor amateur struggling to make ends meet but he himself asked for his three corporate sponsorships to be put on hold -- even if that means living off savings.

Like most of the world's top athletes, he is in limbo as the virus forces competitions to be cancelled and plays havoc with training schedules.

"I don't know when I can resume training or when the next tournament will take place. I don't even know if I can keep up my mental condition or motivation for another year," he said.

"No one knows how the qualification process will go. Pretending everything is OK for the competition is simply irresponsible."

In the meantime, he is happy criss-crossing the vast Japanese capital with bike and smartphone, joining a growing legion of Uber delivery staff in demand during the pandemic.

"When I get orders in the hilly Akasaka, Roppongi (downtown) district, it becomes good training," he smiles.

The unprecedented postponement of the Olympics hit Miyake hard, as he was enjoying a purple patch in his career.

After missing out on the Rio 2016 Olympics, Miyake came 13th in last year's World Fencing Championships -- the highest-ranked Japanese fencer at the competition.

The International Olympics Committee has set the new date for the Olympics on July 23, 2021.

But with no vaccine available for the coronavirus that has killed nearly 300,000 worldwide, even that hangs in the balance.

Miyake said the Japanese fencing team heard about the postponement the day after arriving in the United States for one of the final Olympic qualifying events.

With his diary suddenly free of training and competition, he said he spent the month of April agonising over what to do before hitting on the Uber idea.

"Sports and culture inevitably come second when people have to survive a crisis," he said.

"Is the Olympics really needed in the first place? Then what do I live for if not for the sport? That is what I kept thinking."

However, the new and temporary career delivering food in Tokyo has given the fencer a new drive to succeed.

"The most immediate objective for me is to be able to start training smoothly" once the emergency is lifted, he said.

"I need to be ready physically and financially for the moment. That is my biggest mission now."

But not all athletes may cope mentally with surviving another "nerve-wracking" pre-Olympic year, he said.

"It's like finally getting to the end of a 42-kilometre marathon and then being told you have to keep going."

As a child, Miyake practised his attacks on every wall of his house -- and he said his passion for the sport was what was driving him now.

"I love fencing. I want to be able to travel for matches and compete in the Olympics. That is the only reason I am doing this."

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News Network
June 13,2020

Melbourne, Jun 13: Former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist and current opener David Warner have expressed gratitude to two Indian students for helping people in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gilchrist thanked Sharon Varghese, an Indian student who did her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of Wollongong.

Varghese has been was working on the frontline along with other health care workers to look after the residents of aged-care during the global health crisis.

"She gave up her time to work as an aged-care worker throughout that time. Sharon, I want to say congratulations on the selfless act and for wanting to thank people in Australia because you have enjoyed three and a half years living here. And that’s wonderful to hear," Gilchrist said in a video message.

"Just want to let you know, all of Australia, all of India and more importantly, your family will be so very proud of your efforts."

In another short video, Warner thanked Queensland-based Indian student, Shreyas Sheth.

"Namaste. I am here to say thank you to Shreyas Sheth who is doing selfless work to help others during the COVID crisis. Shreyas is doing his Masters in Computer Science at the University of Queensland and he has been part of University’s outreach program, preparing and delivering food packets to students in need right now," Warner said in the video.

"So I just want to say ‘good on ya’. I am sure your mum and dad and India are proud of you. Keep up the great work."

The videos were shared by Austrade India official twitter account, which have hit almost 10 thousand views in last one week.

Apart from the two cricketers, another Social Media Influencer Amy Aela also sent her thank you note to Liya, an Indian student from Griffith university for her work in providing mental health support to communities in Australia during the pandemic.

"Liya I just want to thank you...we definately need more people like you...just remember that Australia is so so proud of you, India is proud of you..please keep up the good work," Aela said.

Former Australian footballer Craig Foster also sent his thank you message to another Indian origin nurse Arushi from Deakin University. More than 100,000 Indian students are studying in Australia, currently making them one of the biggest cohorts of international students in the country.

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Agencies
August 6,2020

New Delhi, Aug 6: The BCCI on Thursday suspended the IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the event's upcoming edition amid heightened tensions in Sino-India diplomatic ties.

The BCCI sent out a one-line statement, without giving details, saying that Vivo would not be associated with the IPL this year. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Vivo released its own statement saying that the two entities "have mutually decided to pause their partnership for the 2020 season".

Vivo won the IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 2,190 crore, approximately Rs 440 crore per annum.

The two parties are now working out a plan in which Vivo might come back for a fresh three-year period starting 2021 on revised terms.

However, a top BCCI official offered a different view. "Here we are talking about diplomatic tensions and you expect that after November, when IPL ends and before the next IPL starts in April 2021, there would be no anti-China sentiment? Are we serious?" a veteran BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.

The anti-China sentiment in the country peaked after the violent face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. India lost 20 soldiers in the clash, while China also acknowledged unspecified casualties.

The stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) caused outrage across India with several calls for boycotts of Chinese companies and products.

The BCCI is now likely to float a tender for new IPL title sponsors as mandated by its constitution. The glitzy T20 league starts on Sept. 19 in the UAE, forced out of India due to the rising COVID-19 cases.

The new development is in stark contrast to what came out of Sunday's IPL's Governing Council meeting, where it was decided that Vivo, along with all the other sponsors, will remain on board.

This was after the BCCI had announced in June that all sponsorship deals pertaining to IPL will be reviewed in the aftermath of the clash in the Galwan Valley.

However, after Sunday's meeting, there was a huge backlash on social media about the BCCI holding on to Vivo.

Both parties then began thrashing out an amicable separation plan, at least for this season.

However, the end of this deal could spell losses for the franchises as they get a substantial share from the sponsorship pool. Half of the annual Vivo sponsorship money is distributed equally among eight franchises, which comes to Rs 27.5 crore.

"As of now, it will be very difficult for the BCCI to match the sponsorship amount at such short notice. Therefore, both BCCI and the franchises should be prepared to lose out on some money -- BCCI more but each franchise from Vivo's exit will potentially lose 15 crore," the official said.

"This year will be difficult for everyone but the show must go on," the official said.

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