Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has been installed as interim head of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday after the Supreme Court temporarily relieved N. Srinivasan of his duties as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
However, the court said that the seventh edition of the IPL can be held as scheduled with the participation of all eight teams, including the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals, the two sides linked to a corruption scandal.
Mr. Srinivasan’s position was deemed untenable after a three-member committee headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal indicted Mr. Srinivasan’s son-in-law guilty of illegal betting on last year’s IPL tournament . Earlier this week, the Supreme Court urged Mr. Srinivasan unsuccessfully to voluntarily step aside to ensure a fair investigation into the scandal.
BCCI vice president Shivlal Yadav will oversee all other non-IPL affairs until any further order, the Supreme Court said. It also ruled that Mr. Gavaskar, 64, will have to cease his work as a television commentator to avoid any conflict of interest in his new role, adding that the BCCI must “adequately compensate” him for loss of earnings.
This year’s IPL begins on April 16, with the opening round of matches in the United Arab Emirates on account of national elections being held in India
The corruption controversy erupted last year after several players, including bowler Shantakumaran Sreesanth, were arrested for spot fixing – conceding a specified number of runs in exchange for money from bookmakers. Though Mr. Sreesanth denied any wrongdoing, he has been banned for life by the BCCI.
Mr. Meiyappan, who is the son-in-law of Mr. Srinivasan, was a member of the team management of the Chennai Super Kings. The franchise is owned by Mr. Srinivasan’s company, India Cements, and captained by India skipper MS Dhoni. Mr. Meiyappan spent two weeks in jail last year before being granted bail.
The Supreme Court has set April 16 as the next date for hearing in the case.
