Live: Confident of successful IPL 2014, says Gavaskar

End of updates for 29 March 17.00 pm: Gavaskar confident of successful IPL season “I had a meeting with Mr. Ranjib Biswal – Chairman, IPL, and the Management Staff, in Dubai, earlier today. They briefed me on the various aspects related to the Pepsi IPL 2014, and updated me on the current status of this year’s season, which will commence on 16 April 2014 in the UAE,” Gavaskar said through a press release. “I am confident that the upcoming season of the Pepsi IPL 2014 will be a successful one,” he added. Click here to read the full report. 12:33 pm: Sharad Pawar says he won’t go back to BCCI As reported by India Today, former BCCI chairman Sharad Pawar has said that he doesn’t want to be a part of the BCCI. Pawar also expressed his disappointment at the fact that it’s cricket that has suffered. [caption id=“attachment_1456685” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sunil Gavaskar. PTI[/caption] “When I was the BCCI chairman or Shashank Manohar became chairman, we took everyone together and ran the BCCI in a way that improved image of the game but now that image has been tarnished, " he said. Pawar also welcomed Supreme Court’s decision to appoint Sunil Gavaskar as the BCCI chief. 9: 30 am: Dhoni offers to quit as CSK captain, VP of India Cements? A Times of India report said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is incensed by the allegations of corruption that have been levelled against him and has spoken to N Srinivasan about quitting from the post of Vice President of India Cements and CSK captain. According to the report, Dhoni spoke with Srinivasan on Friday morning asking to be relieved of both responsibilities and quoted a source as saying that a decision on both could be taken very soon. Dhoni has requested to be relieved of both posts because he felt the accusations, of corruption and making false statements to the Mudgal committee, have “spoilt his image”. End of updates for 28 March 5.00 pm: Like with my cricket, I will give it my best shot, says Gavaskar Sunil Gavaskar’s statement after the SC appointed him as president of the BCCI for all IPL-related matters: “I am deeply humbled and honoured that the Honourable Supreme Court of India has entrusted me with the job of being the Interim President of the BCCI till the end of IPL 7. Like with my cricket, I will give it my best shot.” 3.00 pm: BCCI should be questioning Dhoni, not defending him Harish Salve, the lawyer for Aditya Verma, the petitioner in the Justice Mudgal Committee report case, pointed out that it is there in black and white in the committee report that Dhoni tried to cover-up Gurunath Meiyappan’s role in Chennai Super Kings. “The report records that Mr Srinivasan, MS Dhoni, vice-president of India Cements, and other officials who appeared before the committee insisted that Meiyappan is only a cricket enthusiast,” Salve told CNN-IBN. “The committee found Meiyappan would sit in the team dug-out. Surely Dhoni knew that. Meiyppan would bid for players at auctions. He probably bid for Dhoni. Surely Dhoni knew that.” Salve went on to point out that the definition of corruption in the BCCI’s own anti-corruption code includes a cover-up, and on those grounds the BCCI should be summoning Dhoni for questioning, not defending him. The BCCI, by defending Dhoni, is again compromising its position,” Salve said. “It is supposed to be the disciplinary authority. If someone has made a wrong statement, the BCCI should call him and ask him why he said this.” 11.51 am: Not a setback for the BCCI “How can anything be a setback when this is the offer that the BCCI made?” BCCI lawyer A Sundaram. “We are extremely clean that nobody should have any manner of doubt. We want the clean up and this is what Srinivasan told the court also.” 11.51 am: Srinivasan to go, Gavaskar to take charge SC: For cricket lovers, IPL will go on as per schedule. Gavaskar will take charge of BCCI for the duration of the IPL. “Any Vice-president of the BCCI can take over after the IPL is over,” the SC added. “Gavaskar will not be allowed to do commentary during the IPL but he will be compensated.” SC refuses to pass any order for allowing N Srinivasan to participate in activities of ICC. For non-IPL BCCI affairs, one of the vice-presidents of the BCCI will take charge. Gavaskar will only look at IPL-related matters. The Supreme Court has also said it won’t stop any player from playing in IPL. All the IPL teams will continue to play in the tournament. So a reprieve for Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings. As interim president of BCCI, Gavaskar will exercise all powers concerning IPL, said the SC. So Gavaskar to decide whether Sundar Raman, who is allegedly an India Cements employee, will remain CEO or not Dhoni has been wrongly villified by media after yesterday’s proceedings in which false allegations were levelled against him, BCCI told the SC. BCCI lawyer A Sundaram said: “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.” Justice Mudgal: “Very balanced order. It will go a long way in improving Indian cricket. Sunil is a very experienced player, his experience unparalleled.” This is an interim order, next hearing is on 16 April. 10.02 am: SC hearing at 1030 IST Today’s hearing in the Supreme Court will begin at 10.30 am. The Three proposed interim orders are as follows: # Srinivasan has been removed from the post of BCCI president. Sunil Gavaskar will take over while the investigation is still on. # RR and CSK will not take part in IPL 7. # All India Cements employees to be removed from whatever position they are in the BCCI – staff, auditors, Chief Financial Officer and even the computer operators. 9.42 am: Dhoni offers to quit? According to a Hindustan Times report, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has offered to quit. “He communicated with N Srinivasan today and it is understood that Dhoni has offered to resign as captain following the issue coming before the Supreme Court. Dhoni could have felt that his name and brand value could fall in a big way and took this call.” The news, though, could not be independently confirmed. 9.35 am: Indian cricket is a mess: Sachin, Dravid will you speak up? “Are you not hurt and outraged by what you have witnessed over the last three days? Did the observations of the Supreme Court on N Srinivasan and the BCCI stir no deep emotion within you? Do you think Dhoni owes his fans and his team-mates an explanation? Do you think Srinivasan should have stepped down when the court suggested he do so? Should the IPL go ahead?” “We don’t know the answers to any of these questions because you haven’t said anything.” Read the full article HERE 9.30 am: I can’t believe that capt of CSK didn’t know M’s role: Salve Lawyer Harish Salve who represented Aditya Verma of the Bihar Cricket Association in the Supreme Court yesterday, took to twitter and expressed his views on the Dhoni matter: “I have admired Dhoni’s skills on the field. However possibly by error of judgment he not only took a job as Vice President in Ind Cement but he appeared before Mudgal comm (with Srini) and asserted that meiyapan had no connection with CSK. A cover up to save M is corruption as defined in the relevant regulations. That was my submission in the SC. Also that I can’t believe that capt of CSK didn’t know M’s role.” Then again, on 28 March (today morning), Salve took to twitter and said: “When the CBI had found players guilty of throwing away wickets in cohorts with bookies they could not file charges because the cheated party- BCCI refused to file a complaint that they had been cheated. The players got away. I had as solicitor general recommended a law punishing those who bring shame to national honour by indulging is such activities. It’s time we build public opinion to force the govt to make laws to punish those who destroy the purity inherent in sport.” 7.45 am: BCCI won’t play ball, Gavaskar’s name likely to be opposed The BCCI is expected to hotly oppose the apex court’s suggestion that he be replaced by former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. For one, the BCCI contends, Gavaskar is not a member of a state cricket association and is thus an “outsider” among cricket administrators in the country. Former cricketers – since that appears to be the benchmark for the court – who may be considered include Anil Kumble, Brijesh Patel and Shivlal Yadav, all cricket officials in various positions, said reports. The other factor weighing against Gavaskar is that while the Supreme Court has pointed out N Srinivasan’s conflict of interests, the former India great has similar conflicting interests. Reports in the Times of India and in The Indian Express pointed out that Gavaskar not only has business interests in the game, but also that he is a BCCI-contracted commentator. Gavaskar is also co-founder of the Professional Management Group which manages IPL players VIrender Sehwag, Varun Aaron and Manoj Tiwary. Gavaskar told TV channels yesterday evening that if this is what the court has instructed then “it would be a huge honour” to take on the mantle of BCCI presidentship. – end up updates for 27 March – 19.00 pm: BCCI haven’t contacted me, says Gavaskar “(Being recommended for post of BCCI chief) Probably the greatest honor I have received. They will take a call,” Sunil Gavaskar was quoted as saying by ANI News. He also said that nobody from the BCCI had contacted him as of now. He was also quoted as saying by Times Now that a few bad apples don’t make the game bad. 18.00 pm: Dhoni will speak to media only if India loses a match at WT20 The Supreme Court’s stern observations on the IPL fiasco appears to have rattled the BCCI bigwigs back home as India’s media manager Dr RN Baba issued a gag order on the media, stating that questions will be entertained “only on ICC World Twenty20”. Once Dr Baba came into the press conference arena with Rohit Sharma as captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni again stayed away, he first announced that questions should only be based on “India team and the World Twenty20”. However, Dr Baba later clarified that Dhoni “will from now on be available if India loses any match or else the man of the match will be coming to attend the customary press meets.” Click here to read the full report. 15.10 pm: BCCI cancels IPL launch press conference; Dhoni skips talking to media in Bangladesh The BCCI has postponed its IPL launch press conference in Abu Dhabi. And in Bangladesh, MS Dhoni has skipped the pre-match press conference ahead of India’s match against the hosts in Mirpur tomorrow. 14.24 pm: ‘Not having IPL is not going to help’ Sunil Gavaskar spoke to NDTV following the SC proposals. Here is what he said: “Difficult for me to say anything at this stage if highest court in India asks you to do something, will be an honour to accept.” “Not having IPL is not going to help. When match-fixing cropped up, no one said to stop Test cricket.” “Srinivasan innocent till proven guilty. Can’t pass opinion on Supreme Court” “Will have to wait and see what is the direction the Supreme Court gives. Let’s not jump the gun.” “Any cricket lover will feel sad if Chennai doesn’t play IPL. They have given a lot of joy to fans.” “As opening batsmen, have to be ready for all challenges. Will do anything to the best of my ability.” 14.05 pm: ‘The players will determine how the game is going to be seen’ Former India skipper Anil Kumble has said: “The players will determine how the game is going to be seen because people will look at it that. We have an opportunity to do whatever we can to ensure the game is above all of this.” “This is nothing different from what we see in our society. Just because it is a sport, you can’t have an immunity. Beyond this I can’t comment on certain individuals,” he further added. “I think you need to understand, it is not just one person that we are talking about. We are talking about a cricket association.” I don’t see something wrong with supporting somien The matter is sub-judice. Let’s wait for the verdict. All of us as law abiding citizens will follow the law. 14.05 pm: No comment from Dravid Dravid: “I don’t want to comment, the matter is subjudice. Let the court make it’s judgement. I don’t want to get involved.” “It’s not that the game itself is bad. The game is great. There are always things that go wrong but the game is above all that.” 13.47 pm: Call the BCCI SGM “Board has been kept completely in the dark by Srinivasan. Special General Body meeting must be called immediately,” says former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah. 13.12 pm: Three proposed interim orders made by the SC Aditya Verma, the petitioner from the Bihar Cricket Association: - Harish Salve spoke for around 2 and 1/2 hours about the various conflict of interests of BCCI president N Srinivasan. – Three proposed interim orders. # Srinivasan has been removed from the post of BCCI president. Sunil Gavaskar will take over while the investigation is still on. # RR and CSK will not take part in IPL 7. # All India Cements employees to be removed from whatever position they are in the BCCI – staff, auditors, Chief Financial Officer and even the computer operators. – Dhoni was always pressurised by Srinivasan to lie about Meiyappan. The SC will listen to BCCI’s reply at 1030 hrs IST on March 27. 13.09 pm: Gavaskar to replace Srinivasan “I am quitting as BCCI president, Srinivasan tells SC according to the Times of India. In reply, the SC proposes to appoint Sunil Gavaskar as interim president as can play a mentors role and he has a lot of experience as well. SC also said: “Purge” the BCCI of everyone who belongs to India Cements. SC also said that the CSK and RR cannot be allowed to play in IPL 7. The BCCI will respond tomorrow when the Court will pass an interim order. The case will then be adjourned to 16 April for further hearing. 11.32 am: Suspend CSK! Petitioner’s counsel tells the Supreme Court that the Chennai Super Kings should be suspended. 11.32 am: Dhoni guilty too? Harish Salve, counsel of the petitioner, says India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni guilty of corrupt conduct, gave false statement to the Commission. Salve also said that: “Dhoni is an employee of India Cements and that leads to a conflict of interest.” Sundar Raman, who runs the IPL, is also an employee of Indian Cements. Salve has been arguing for more than an hour and he is drawing the attention of the SC towards the conflicts of interest prevalent in the BCCI at large. Salve basically pointed to Dhoni deposition before the Mudgal Commission in which he said that Gurunath Meiyappan was not the team principal/owner… but just an enthusiast. 11.32 am Srinis lawyer submits that Srini shall not carry on the functions of President BCCI. SC allows the BCCI counsel to go through certain paragraphs of the sealed report that was handed over to them by the Mudgal Committee. After going through BCCIs proposal placed before the Court, Court asks both sides to finally argue the matter & it shall reserve the order. 11.12 am: BCCI to SC: Ready for probe Offical: BCCI gives its proposal before SC assuring it of initiating disciplinary proceedings on the basis of recommendations of Mudgal committee report. “Will have to think hard about what is in the interest of cricket and law,” says Supreme Court in reply to BCCI’s proposal. So basically Srinivasan refusing to step down – he is agreeing to – as he did the last time, to step aside. The arguments are still ongoing in the case, so we will have more later. 10.25 am: Cricket deserves far better… Mike Haysman makes a powerful statement not just against Srinivasan but also against the England and Australia cricket boards. “We all know that greed is one of the evils of the world and what is happening regarding cricket at the moment is a microcosm of exactly that. The game is sadly losing serious credibility at an alarming rate. It is astounding to read what is happening in India at the moment. It is equally astonishing to hear the deafening silence from two members of the very recently formed comfy cricket cabal who were going to rule the cricketing world. The Supreme Court of India has firmly laid its cards on the table and under-fire BCCI president N Srinivasan is considering his options. Really? The ECB and Cricket Australia, who both enthusiastically leapt into bed with this dubious man after months of immoral clandestine planning, have said absolutely nothing in response to his current highly embarrassing situation.” Read the full piece HERE 09.35 am: Srinivasan’s cover-up is like the state-sponsored doping in East Germany Lakit Modi has made a statement on his blog: “The entire cover up by the BCCI top honcho to save his son-in-law and the degree to which Mr Srinivas has let it spread forces me to compare it to the state-sponsored mandatory doping in East Germany.” “Given the context and the current chain of events, I reckon it’s only right that until the faith of the people in the integrity of the game is restored, the IPL tournament for the year 2014 should be suspended. Only once we have rid ourselves of the scourge that is “fixing” of any kind should we continue. Remember that it is the intense emotional engagement of the fan that compliments the technical brilliance of the cricketer and that should never be interrupted or scarred with the corrupt practices of people in charge or those involved.” “Unfortunately the BCCI had one full year – 365 days to gear up into some action, but TV deals and financial control of the sport overtook their faculties. A lot of players, too, have felt the same way especially given the uncertainty in the air, but have failed to voice their opinions for fear of a fierce backlash from the BCCI boss.” Read the full statement HERE 09.26 am: ‘Don’t disturb me, I am going to pray’ Early morning, Srinivasan made his visit to the temple with the TV crews in tow. He refused to comment on what his course of action will be today, only saying: ‘Don’t disturb me, I am going to pray.’ 09.02 am: Srinivasan won’t step down, he’ll just step aside According to reports on Headline Today, BCCI president won’t step down, he’ll just step aside. Srinivasan’s argument so far has been that the Supreme Court has not issued a notice against him so there is no need for him to quit. He is, however, likely to step aside until another probe into IPL spot-fixing is completed. Either which way, we will have an answer today. On March 25, the Supreme Court had observed that Srinivasan needs to step down to ensure a fair probe into the IPL scandal. 17.07 pm: IPL 2014 should be suspended Former BCCI Pres Shashank Manohar, told CNN-IBN, IPL 2014 should be suspended & that people have lost faith in the tournament. - IPL 2014 should be suspended to restore integrity of the game and Srinivasan needs to step down. No probe can be conducted unless Srinivasan steps down.” - “All IPL games must be investigated to initiate a clean-up.” - “Public at large has lost faith in the IPL.” - “I had said long back, when the scandal broke, that all IPL matches should be investigated.I feel that a thorough probe needs to be done by CBI as the canvas of the activities extends throughout the country.” - “Many years back,a conscious decision was taken by the BCCI to abstain from matches in the Middle East in view of certain information regarding rampant betting and match fixing.As far as I know , that decision has not been revoked… the decision to shift IPL matches to the Middle East will further tarnish the already murky waters surrounding the tournament.” - “The Board Members should remind themselves that money/profits is neither the aim nor the objective of the Board.” Read the full report HERE 12.01 pm: Srinivasan unlikely to to step down without court order It looks like N Srinivasan will not be stepping down from the BCCI voluntarily. Shivlal Yadav, a BCCI vice-president, told NDTV that the BCCI will wait for a court order before deciding what to do next. The court had given Srinivasan two days to decide whether or not he would stay on as president in light of the observation that they found his clinging to power “nauseating”. If he chose not to go, they said they would be forced to pass an order removing when they hear the case again on Thursday. It seems the BCCI is willing to let that state of affairs come to pass. 11.20 am: BCCI doesn’t want a Subrata Roy situation According to a story on ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI is wary of provoking the Supreme Court and ending up in a situation like that of Sahara supreme Subrata Roy. There is also concerned that the Court could order appoint an interim administrator to run the board if Srinivasan does not voluntarily step down, citing a precedent from 2004 when Madras High Court appointed Judge S Mohan to oversee the board while Sharad Pawar and Jagmohan Dalmiya were battling for the presidency. “We would like to avoid a situation like in 2004, so it is possible that the president might act accordingly in the best interest of Indian cricket,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. There is still no word from Srinivasan on whether or not he will step down of his own accord. 10.20 am: False alarm from CNN-IBN CNN-IBN originally reported that Srinivasan said no one could force him to step down as he had done nothing wrong but have since removed the story from their website. The Supreme Court is scheduled to pass a ruling on the BCCI and Srinivasan’s presidency tomorrow if Srinivasan does not step down. – end of updates for 25 March – 8.30 pm: Credibility of the BCCI has sunk even further Ajay Shirke, the former BCCI treasurer, told Headlines Today that the Supreme Court’s observation on N Srinivasan was a serious blow to the credibility of the BCCI. Shirke had resigned last year after being put on the BCCI committee that was originally asked to probe the allegations against Gurunath Meiyappan, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals last year after Srinivasan had stepped aside. Shirke said he resigned for his own moral reasons and felt said the issue should have been handled in a much better way at that time and never come to this point. “Unless this rot is cleaned up, the very foundation of BCCI might be in for a major shake-up,” he said. 6.30 pm: Big task to win back faith of fans, says Lalit Modi Lalit Modi is naturally thrilled that the Supreme Court has asked his nemesis N Srinivasan to step down but he also thinks it will take some serious effort to rebuild cricket’s credibility.  4.50 pm: I would have stepped down had I been in Srinivasan’s position: Manohar Former BCCI president, Shashank Manohar has told Times Now that the BCCI is bigger than any one individual and that had he been in Srinivasan’s position, he would have resigned. Srinivasan was the board secretary while Manohar was president. It was during their tenure that Lalit Modi was removed as IPL chairman and a disciplinary committee investigation instituted that ultimately resulted in a life ban from cricket for Modi. 4.00 pm: The BCCI can’t do an investigation on its own A report in the Hindu has more damning quotes from the Supreme Court judges about N Srinivasan and the BCCI. Perhaps, most importantly, the Court thinks that an outside agency should investigate the IPL and not the board. “Though there is no definite finding in the report in the sealed cover, the allegations are so serious it require further investigation, which the BCCI can’t do on its own and it has to be done by an outside agency," Justice Patnaik said. That’s why we are saying that Mr. Srinivasan must step down for a fair probe.” “We want to protect the institution of BCCI….. It {betting} happened because people who are in control of BCCI are not taking any action.” According to the Hindu, when the board’s legal counsel said the BCCI had earned an international reputation, Justice Patnaik responded by saying why doesn’t Srinivsan prove it by stepping down and allowing an impartial probe. “The problem is you {BCCI} don’t have confidence in the two judges but you have confidence in your man {Mr. Srinivasan},” Justice Patnaik said. “It is better if he goes on his own. You take instructions from him whether he will step down. We will hear the matter on Thursday.” 3.30 pm: ICC refuses comment on Srinivasan’s situation Saying it is an internal matter of the BCCI, an ICC spokesperson told AFP that it “has no comment to offer at this stage”. Srinivasan led a significant restructuring of the ICC just last month that greatly increased the BCCI’s share of revenue from world events. Srinivasan is also set to take over as the sport’s governing body’s first chairman in July. 3.10 pm: BCCI still in discussion with lawyers Ravi Savant, the BCCI vice-president, told Firstpost that president N Srinivasan is still in discussion with the board’s lawyers and the rest of the office bearers are still waiting to hear of his decision. While the board will have to appoint a temporary president should Srinivasan choose to step down, Savant said no discussions had yet taken place among the other office bearers about who might replace him. Savant also added that if there is to be an impartial inquiry into the IPL, then Srinivasan “should keep himself away” until the investigation is complete. 2.30 pm: Pressure mounts on Srini as former players ask him to resign 1983 World Cup winner Mohinder Amarnath: “In the interest of the game, one should step aside and let the enquiry go on. As a lover of the game, he should step down. He should respect the law and he should honour what Supreme Court has suggested. Let’s see how it goes." Bishan Singh Bedi took to twitter to express his opinion. “BCCI touches lowest low-thx SC’ nudge ‘Srini must step dn’ & out of all matters crkting!What happens2all his cronies in bcci & icc?!Hail SC!.” BCCI Vice President Shivlal Yadav and former Rajasthan Cricket Association chief Kishore Rungta also criticised Srinivasan. Click here to read the full report. 1:00 pm: BCCI official says Srinivasan must go, but voluntarily Ravi Sawant, the Vice President of BCCI also told CNN-IBN that they will abide by the Supreme Court’s order. But they wouldn’t tell Srinivasan to do it, he will do it himself, the official said. “Since the Supreme Court has said it there’s no question of not following it,” he said. “If the Supreme Court has said he must step down then he must,” Sawant said. He pointed out that the apex court has given Srinivasan two days to resign. Sawant offered no opinion on who could replace Srinivasan in the event of him quitting. 12:55 pm: BCCI says it will abide by SC decision BCCI vice president Shivlal Yadav has said that the board has to abide by the Supreme Court’s order, reports Times Now. However, what remains unclear is when they will abide by it. 12:20 pm: Rajeev Shukla joins Srinivasan in staying mum He’s rarely short of words on any subject but former IPL commissioner Rajeev Shukla chose to stay mum over the Supreme Court’s verdict on N Srinivasan. Here’s what happened when ANI attempted to get a reaction from him:

12:05 pm: Bishan Singh Bedi welcomes SC order on Srinivasan

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  12:00 pm: Amarnath says Srinivasan must step down “If the Supreme Court says Srinivasan must step down, he must step down. There are no two ways about it,” former great Mohinder Amarnath said. He’s not the only one saying that presently. But will Srinivasan relent? 11:45 pm: SC tells Srinivasan to step down, Srinivasan says he hasn’t read it The Supreme Court held its second hearing on the Justice Mudgal Committee report on IPL spot-fixing and betting today and came up with some particularly damning observations about the way cricket is being run in the country. The sole focus of these observations seemed to be the role of BCCI president N Srinivasan. “Why is Srinivasan sticking to his chair” If you don’t step down, then we will pass the order,” the SC observed. “If you truly want to save the game, if you truly want to save cricket, you have to look at the corruption within the BCCI and step down.” [caption id=“attachment_1449297” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] “Until Srinivasan steps down, we will not listen to anything you have to say,” the SC reportedly told BCCI lawyers. The SC also said: “The Mudgal report in sealed envelope contains very, very serious allegations and unless the BCCI President steps down, no fair probe can be conducted.” SC calls the situation with the IPL probe ’nauseating’ and has adjourned the case to March 27. They also asked the BCCI what has to be done with the IPL Probe report. Srinivasan in reply has said: “I don’t want to say anything. I have not read it.”