Suspended on charges of betting during IPL-6 by the BCCI on Monday, Rajasthan Royals’ co-owner Raj Kundra said he would challenge the grounds for the action. Pending inquiry, Kundra was suspended after the working committee met in New Delhi and is now the second team owner to be handed suspension after N. Srinivasan’s son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan.
“All sorts of accusations were made against me without proof, by people in powerful positions. It is sad that without accurate facts, I am being made a scapegoat and put under trial by the media based on unproved claims,” Kundra said in a statement.
The 37-year-old British Indian business and husband of Shilpa Shetty said he would challenge the decision. “I am shocked and upset at the unilateral decision taken today by the BCCI and will fight the grounds of suspension,” Kundra said.
Kundra also slammed BCCI for turning a deaf ear to the demands of the team owners. “In many BCCI meetings I have often suggested that team-owners be given a seat on the IPL governing board so that owners are involved in decision making, as in many international sports bodies.
“Us owners are the ones heavily invested in the IPL and should have a voice in its functioning, however till date no team-owner’s body has been welcomed,” he said. Kundra said he was aware of the ASCU rules that a team member caught betting may face a suspension and hence refrained from betting.
“People need to realise that as a British national and NRI, if I wanted to bet I could have done so off-shore on any betting website legally. How-ever, I didn’t do so as the contract as per ACSU rules clearly states that owners cannot bet on the IPL,” he said.