City Corporation managing director Aniruddh Deshpande has denied keeping the Indian Premier League in the dark about bidding in “individual capacity” for the Pun franchise but conceded that the company’s name was used in the bid documents he submitted.
City Corporation, in which union cabinet minister Sharad Pawar and his family has 16 per cent equity, had denied being part of the bid but the BCCI president Shashank Manohar on Saturday refuted their claim, saying the failed bid came in the company’s name.
Deshpande said he had told the IPL that he would float a new company after winning the bid, which was eventually clinched by the Sahara Group.
“All the documents were in the name of the company and a letter to that effect had also been submitted to the IPL governing council on March 21 before the bid. I told them that the stakeholders will change if we are successful bidders,” Deshpande said.
“Since we were not successful bidders, nothing further had to be done,” he told a TV channel.
City Corporation is in the dock after reports emerged that it had authorised Deshpande to bid on its behalf despite claims to the contrary by Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule.
Deshpande admitted that the company’s board did decide to bid after a January meeting but later backed out and passed a fresh resolution on March 17 allowing Deshpande to go ahead in his “individual capacity”.
Asked if the later resolution had been fabricated to save the company and Pawar further embarrassment, Deshpande said, “Why would we do it?”
“If it was to be done in the company’s name, it would have been done in the company’s name. How can I fabricate a March 17 letter that I gave on March 21 to the IPL governing council in front of all the bidders?” he asked.