Spot Fixing scandal claims one more - Son-In-Law of BCCI President

The Spot Fixing controversy - one more has landed in jail. This time it is Gurunath Meiyappan the alleged owner of the Chennai Super Kings and the son-in-law of BCCI President N. Srinivasan. He has been remanded to custody until 29 May 2013.

Mumbai Police claims that it has enough evidence "to conclude his involvement in the spot fixing case."

Gurunath has been been in the limelight until now as the "owner" of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team. Although, now, there are several releases from the Team sources that he Gurunath is not the owner of CSK. These releases are raising questions as to in what capacity did he bid in the auction for "buying" the team members.

So many "insiders" of the BCCI sponsored IPL are involved in Spot Fixing and other irregularities.

• IPL Organizers - Lalit Modi the founding IPL commissioner is charged with irregularities
• Team Owner - CSK management is the latest in the controversy. Alongwith charges of betting he has been accused to leaking team strategy and planning to some of the bookies.
• Players - Three of them are still in custody - in fact their arrest is where this round of the IPL spot fixing controversy started.
• Umpire - Asad Rauf too has been under the scanner
• Bookies - So many have been raided and arrested.

I think, the entire gamut of the IPL cross section (organizers, team owner, players, umpire, bookies) are now involved.

The pressure is now mounting on N. Srinivasan to quit, while he, himself, is defiant that he has not done anything wrong and that he will not quit.

Spot Fixing - Credibility of IPL & BCCI at stake

The chaos around spot fixing in IPL seems to be increasing.

A matter that first hit the media and public attention with the arrest of three players has blown big. The scene has become murkier...

• Film star Vindoo Randhawa (son of late Dara Singh) has been taken into custody, 
• an umpire Asad Rauf has been relieved of his role in the Champions League, and 
• now no less than the Chennai Super Kings CEO and Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan who happens to be the son-in-law of BCCI President N Srinivasan has been summoned by Mumbai Police.

Flip Side of the Investigation

The flip side of the investigation is the fact that Mumbai Police and Delhi Police don't appear to be supporting each others investigations.

We only hope that investigation does not meet the same fate as some of the earlier investigations related to fixing.

Spot Fixing Scandal - Troubled times for Cricket

Cricket - the most popular sport of India - is going through a rough time. All the news of spot fixing is compromising the credibility of the sport.

First the news about the alleged financial irregularities against Lalit Modi - the man who single-handedly took Indian Premier League to its dizzy heights of popularity - followed by his suspension as Commissioner of Indian Premier League.

And now, all the media attention on news of spot fixing at the Lord's Test between England and Pakistan.

The names of three international players from Pakistan

• Mohammed Amir
• Mohammed Asif
• Salman Butt

has been doing the rounds regularly in the media for their alleged involvement in spot fixing.

The Chief Executives Committee (CEC) which met in Cape Town has reaffirmed the cricketing body's zero tolerance stance against any form of corruption.

As fans of the game, we can only hope that prompt and strict action is taken against the defaulters.

The action should be such that it sets an example for those who even dare to think of walking down the forbidden paths that damage the reputation of this great sport.

IPL Season starts soon - monetizing of cricket

That's it folks - its time to see the real show!

A lot has been said and promised by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) and its Indian Premier League (IPL). We have witnessed a string of auctions and bidding processes in the media for a sporting event that is expected to revolutionize the way we look at sports in the country.

India's richest sport - CRICKET - is all set to launch the first tournament of its much glamorized Indian Premier League (IPL).

Starting 18 April 2008 at Bangalore with the first match that will be played between Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers and Shahrukh Khan's Knight Riders. The tournament will culminate at Mumbai on 1 June 2008.

It is time to see, on the ground, the actual sport of the event that has hogged so much media space, for more than the last couple of months, for its sensational auctions and high value bids. I am waiting to see whether the event is able to meet the expectations of its organizers. Whether it is able to gain the level of popularity and kind of viewership that its sponsors are dreaming for.

A lot of money has already been put in and a lot is at stake in the tournament. Several thousands of crores of rupees have been pumped in at various stages by the franchise owners and sponsor partners.

I don't think anyone is spending so much money for charity. Each and every one of those involved has made an investment and is out to make money. One can expect these parties to utilize every gimmick possible to motivate cricket fans to loosen their purse strings and shell out money. Considering the amount of investment done it is obvious that they are looking forward to making a lot of money.

Could the Indian Premier League be the trigger that the national economy is looking for? Presently, grapling with inflation and facing a industrial slowdown coupled with an global financial turmoil the economy is desparately seeking a stimulus to put it back on the growth track.