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MUMBAI: Lalit Modi, who glamourized cricket in India by founding the T20 Indian Premier League in 2008, was on Wednesday banned for life from holding any post by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at its special general meeting in Chennai.
Unfazed by the ban, Modi said he would have the last laugh.
“They BCCI will have their day and I will have the last call. I am not going anywhere. I will be right here,” Modi told a TV network after the ban.
The ban follows after the BCCI disciplinary committee in its 134-page report submitted in July found Modi guilty of financial irregularities, working against “the interest of the BCCI” and indiscipline.
Modi, who founded the IPL and was BCCI vice-president, was thrown out of it after the third edition in 2010 and currently lives in London.
Announcing the decision to ban Modi, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said, “The BCCI resolved that Lalit Modi is guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore he is hereby expelled from the board.
“He shall forfeit all his rights and privileges as administrator. He shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any committee or any member or associate member of the BCCI.”
The decision to expel the 49-year-old Modi was taken unanimously as all 30 BCCI members were present at the meeting.
Modi made last-ditch efforts to seek stay on the BCCI special general meeting by first moving the Delhi high court and then the Supreme Court. But the Supreme Court refused to intervene, asking Modi to explain his position before the BCCI.
The BCCI special general meeting also cleared the way for Narayanaswami Srinivasan to return as its president. Srinivasan was forced to step aside after his son-in-law was involved in IPL spot-fixing earlier this year.
The T20 Indian Premier League has become the biggest money spinner in the history of cricket. Within five years, it has also become one of the top premier sports leagues in the world, with its brand value being pegged at nearly $3 billion. Eight teams compete in the league.
Marred by spot-fixing this year, the IPL is set to see drastic changes from next year. Cheerleaders, which were Modi’s idea, may also disappear from the biggest cricket show.
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