Chennai: The Supreme Court may have shown N. Srinivasan the door, but officials of the Chennai Super Kings, owned by Srinivasan-promoted India Cements, heaved a big sigh of relief Friday on the team being allowed to be part of IPL-7.
A Chennai Super Kings official said the SC’s order came as a relief after spending sleepless nights. “Our contention was that scrapping a team would have a lot of adverse effect on the entire league. The other teams and players will also get affected apart from jeopardizing the stake holders,” he said.
BCCI lawyer C.Aryama Sundaram said the court ruling wasn’t a setback for the cricket body. “How can anything be a setback when this is the offer that the BCCI made?” Sundaram asked.
“We are extremely clear that nobody should have any manner of doubt. We want the clean up and this is what Srinivasan told the court also,” he added. Of course, the BCCI is known to have pressed for appointing its own probe panel whereas the top court is convinced an SIT would be the only sensible way to conduct a fair probe.
Sundaram said Dhoni has been wrongly defamed after Thursday’s proceedings in which false allegations were leveled against him. “Mudgal Committee asked Dhoni is Gurunath Meiyappan had anything to do with cricketing activities (on-field decisions, team selection and more). Dhoni said no which is absolutely correct as any captain will do,” Sundaram said.
Now that IPL season-7 is safe and about to get off the ground on April 16 in the UAE, the focus in cricket administration shifts to Srinivasan’s ICC post. The court which suspended N. Srinivasan from the post of BCCI president Friday has left the fate of the Tamil Nadu strongman’s impending coronation as ICC chairman hanging. The BCCI counsel did appeal to the SC judges to let Srinivasan function as chief of ICC, but the bench refused to pass any order with the next hearing posted to April 16.
Srinivasan is the chairman-elect of the world cricket body’s revamped structure come July, but without a clear SC directive he could face opposition from other members of the ICC. A source from the Sri Lanka Cricket said they have been closely monitoring the developments. “Our Board will take a stand in a few days after consulting authorities concerned,” he said.
The source hinted that SLC could raise a precedent in which their president Thilanga Sumathipala had to give up his post in the ICC after a report found his involvement with the betting industry.
