Modi’s wings set to be clipped

Despite Sharad Pawar`s backing,the BCCI-IPL governing council is all set to clip Lalit Modi`s wings.

Zeecric Bureau

New Delhi: Although the all powerful Sharad Pawar has come out openly in support of Lalit Modi, there are clear indications Friday that the BCCI-IPL governing council is all set to take away powers from the IPL commissioner. The BCCI bosses are miffed by Lalit Modi’s style of functioning that has spawned a lot of controversies, the latest one being the public spat over IPL Kochi team with MoS Shashi Tharoor. Also, the questioning of Lalit Modi by Income Tax officials over the financial dealings and share holding patterns of the cricketing body has added fuel to the fire. As per reports, BCCI chief Shashank Monahar is set to chair the IPL governing council meet in Dharamsala today for an ‘unofficial’ discussion on the entire issue about Kochi franchisee’s stakeholders in detail. Strangely, the IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, who is the most important man of the cash-rich league, has not been invited for the brainstorming session. Sources also claimed that BCCI boss Shashank Monahar would be named IPL co-chairman to rein in controversy-ridden Lalit Modi. Shashank Manohar had only few days back written a strongly-worded letter to Modi, saying that his disclosure on Twitter revealing names of IPL Kochi team owners was unbecoming of him as a chairman of a sub-committee of the board. “Your action is in serious breach of the confidentiality clause in the agreement,” Manohar had written. “Till date, you have made public statements about a lot of issues which were not even discussed in the meetings of the governing council when it is the governing council which has the authority to take decisions with regard to each and every issue related to IPL,” Manohar said. But now with Union Agriculture Minister and ICC president-elect Sharad Pawar coming out in support of Modi, it remains to be seen what action would be taken against Lalit Modi. “There in nothing wrong in disclosing the names of the stakeholders to the public,” Pawar said. Modi, who wields considerable influence as IPL commissioner and chairman, has found himself in a spot of bother after his public disclosure of the stake-holding structure in the Kochi franchisee which has snowballed into a major controversy. Although as per the IPL constitution, Modi cannot be removed as the Commissioner till 2012. But the latest controversy and the I-T raids have surely dented his credibility, and in all probability, will see the emergence of a less powerful Modi.