Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has backed Sunil Gavaskar in his feud with the BCCI over alleged non-payment of dues promised to him, saying the former opener was promised Rs 4 crore per annum.
|Last Updated: Dec 15, 2011, 03:32 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Mumbai: Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has backed Sunil Gavaskar in his feud with the BCCI over alleged non-payment of dues promised to him, saying the former opener was promised Rs 4 crore per annum.
Gavaskar had lashed out at the board two days ago after his demand of USD one million (Rs 5 crore) per IPL season, which he claimed was due to him for media and governing council related activities involving the IPL, was turned down by the BCCI.
"A lot is being said in the news about Sunny. I just want to clarify - yes Sunny was promised the four crores a year by the BCCI for IPL," Modi wrote on Twitter.
"Yes its due to him for the years he served on the IPL Governing Council. We used his name and credibility when setting up the IPL.
"Getting Sunny on board was done with the help of Mr (Sharad) Pawar - the then president of BCCI. He had negotiated the amount and I as chairman agreed," he added.
Modi, who is facing charges of financial irregularities in the IPL and is staying overseas, said Gavaskar`s role was critical for the success of IPL and to counter competition from the rival Indian Cricket League (ICL), which had got on board legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev.
"When we launched IPL, ICL was headed by Kapil Dev and we needed all the more reason to have Sunny on our side. Because of Kapil`s stature ICL was snapping all the players. So it was important to counter that by bringing in Sunny. ICL was on a roll...," he said.
"ICL made the task more difficult so we had to launch a better and more superior offering to players and fans alike. Credibility was key then. IPL since has made history and will earn BCCI billions of dollars in the coming years. People like Sunny should be rewarded not crucified," he added.
Modi also took a dig at BCCI president N Srinivasan over the scrapping of the deal with broadcast rights holder Nimbus for defaulting on payments.
"First Zee as Treasurer, then Kochi as secretary and now Nimbus. Resulting in thousands of crores loss...what happened to all the transparency," he asked.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.