23 April,2010 08:43 AM IST | | Sanjjeev K Samyal
In an attempt to cleanse IPL, BCCI likely to scrap commissioner's post to ensure one man does not have unlimited powers
Lalit Modi is likely to end up as the first and last commissioner of the Indian Premier League. According to a powerful member of the IPL governing council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, officially there was never any Commissioner's post in the IPL.
"According to the BCCI constitution, there is no such post as Commissioner. It is a self-styled one. According to BCCI's IPL rules and regulations, there is one chairman and rest are members which includes three cricketers," informed the high-ranking BCCI member.
Modi was the IPL commissioner and chairman.
It is learnt that the issue of too much power to one post has been discussed by the Governing Council members and everyone, including Sharad Pawar, have verbally agreed to do away with unrestrained power to the chairman.
"IPL being a new tournament, the BCCI was not aware of the implications of having one person holding such a powerful post. As the controversies have shown, the current IPL set-up hasn't worked well," the BCCI official told MiD DAY.
As for the reports of the franchises pulling their weight behind Modi to continue as the IPL chief, the BCCI big wig retorted: "It has nothing to do with the franchises. When they made their bids, did BCCI tell them that Modi would head the IPL forever? Their interest is in the proper functioning of the IPL, we have to look at how to run it best.
"It's the system that builds you, not the other way round. Otherwise when a top guy goes, the institutions will collapse," he said.
Asked for a reason behind so many loopholes in the system, the BCCI member said: "The problem occurred because the Governing Council did not meet regularly. The decision will be taken in the Governing Council meeting and he (Modi) has a lot of explaining to do. The email leak was uncalled for."
There are a lot of changes expected in the IPL functioning as the BCCI is determined to institute a full-proof system of checks in all IPL financial deals. It will be ensured that no decision is taken by any one individual without the knowledge of the Governing Council.
"In any institution where so much money is involved, you have to have accountability. Our main aim is to protect the interests of the game. Cricket can't be incidental," he said.
According to the Modi camp, if he is forced to go, it will be a case of the golden handshake. "He has enough ammo in his possession which could so be damaging to many of BCCI's big wigs that they will have to adjust him in some other capacity," said a Modi backer.
