A day after the BCCI suspended five players for alleged spot-fixing in this season’s IPL, former chairman of the cash-rich league Lalit Modi said the previous seasons were corruption-free and wondered why the teams and their owners would indulge in fixing matches.
“The first four years of IPL were absolutely clean,” Modi told CNN-IBN. “I really don’t understand why any team would want to lose or fix a match in the IPL. All teams want to win,” Modi added.
Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. Reuters
When CNN-IBN asked whether to restore its credibility IPL rules need to be made more transparent, Modi said: “I concede that and I think the solution is all players should be in the auction and it should be live. There should be no ambiguity and no side deals.”
Modi also admitted that in hindsight the cap of Rs 25 lakh on uncapped Indian players was a mistake. He was the chairman and the commissioner of the IPL from the time the league was formed in 2008 until being suspended in April 2010.
Meanwhile, the BCCI has started its investigation on the suspended players.
