The admission of a co-owner an IPL team, as claimed by the Delhi police, that he had wagered on Indian Premier League matches has forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India to call yet another emergent working committee meeting in New Delhi on Monday.
Interim BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said the co-owner’s alleged confession would be taken up at the Delhi meeting and action taken if required.
On the India captain’s alleged conflicts of interest, Mr Dalmiya said there would be no concealing of facts but it would have to wait till the end of the Champions Trophy tournament that began in Cardiff on the day. “As far as the Dhoni issue is concerned, you all have seen it in the papers and so have I. Let it come out... at this juncture, when we are in the midst of the Champions Trophy, we are not going to earn anything by disturbing the atmosphere. But at the same time, we are not going to cover it up. Please wait and see,” he assured.
The co-owner issue reflects an earlier such instance where a team principal also allegedly accepted, according to the police, that he had laid bets on IPL matches. The resulting furore forced his father-in-law, the BCCI president, to step aside at a meeting in Chennai last Sunday.
“The issue will be discussed in the working committee, which is going to be held on June 10, and after we hear the details, if it demands any strict action, we will look into it,” Mr Dalmiya said.
The IPL scandal has shown no signs of fading with more and more skeletons tumbling out of the cupboard, the co-owner’s alleged confession being the latest. On whether the BCCI would think of discontinuing IPL in the wake of the ever-growing list of scandals, Mr Dalmiya said, “There should not be any kind of thoughts that it would be shelved.”