Chennai: Sunil Gavaskar is now feeling the heat. Entrusted with looking after the controversy-riddled Indian Premier League, Gavaskar has to take some hard decisions. The Supreme Court lobbed the ball right into his court saying the interim president can decide on the future of Sundar Raman, the under fire COO of IPL.
The former India captain has been treading cautiously in taking a decision on whether to sack the official known for his close proximity with N.Srinivasan or let him continue to manage the cash rich IPL.
Sundar Raman, who has a long background in managing global media plans of clients and marketing their brands, came under the scrutiny of the SC appointed Justice Mugal probe committee, which heard allegations about the official passing on insider information on teams to help Gurunath Meiyappan in his betting.
Gavaskar had a meeting with IPL franchise owners like Vijay Mallya, Shah Rukh Khan and Mukesh Ambani in Dubai Monday when the team owners were asked to give their opinion on Sundar. It is understood that the feedback has been positive from leading owners, but Gavaskar is playing safe in asking for a wider feedback on Sunder from all the IPL teams.
The SC in its interim verdict said: “Gavaskar, will have power to engage the services of such persons on whom he has confidence for work in connection with the IPL 2014. We also direct that it is for Gavaskar to decide as to whether Sundar
Raman, Chief IPL Operator, would continue in the IPL, 2014 or some other arrangement has to be made in his place. In case of any difficulty, Gavaskar may apply to this Court for appropriate orders.” Gavaskar’s decision on Sundar holds a lot of significance given the fact SC believed he was the right person to restore the credibility of the billion dollar league while it is well-known that Sunder comes from the Chennai cricket strongman’s chosen stable. Gavaskar is likely to see the practical side of it and not rock the IPL boat, according to insiders. But then Gavaskar himself has come under sniper fire regarding his role.
Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi has been skeptical about Gavaskar’s appointment. “Can he take any strict action if he has to go back to BCCI again for a commentary contract after his tenure ends? He can’t,” Bedi said.
Gavaskar’s appointment had evoked mixed reactions with a section of the cricket fraternity raising conflict of interest issues with regard to his previous roles as BCCI-contracted commentator. Reports suggest he is also chairman of the sports marketing company Professional Management Group that reportedly manages cricketers such as Virender Sehwag, Manoj Tiwary and Varun Aaron.
When the judges proposed Gavaskar’s name, lawyer Rahul Mehra was the first one to inform the court that the ex-cricketer also had commercial interests in BCCI.
“Gavaskar is a man ridded with conflict of interest. He is nothing but a mouthpiece of Srinivasan in the last four years and is a paid employee of BCCI. Supreme Court thinks he is an idol, but he is not. He is as guilty as Srinivasan,” Mehra told this newspaper.
