Can Lalit Modi be confused with anything connected to the Indian Premier League? Yes, the Kochi team, one of the two new entrants for the next year's fourth edition of the tournament.

The IPL and the franchise have signed the agreement to be part of next year's extravaganza, but what has puzzled the IPL head honcho is the fact that one of the partners of the consortium has been given 25 per cent of stakes for free.

"I am puzzled. Well, if others want to pay 100s of millions, who are we to say no? That's between them," Modi said on Twitter yesterday.

Asked on Twitter whether Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor owns a stake in the team, Modi replied: "I was told by him not to get into who owns Rendezvous. Specially Sunanda Pushkar." Modi wondered why and entered the 'instructions' in his records.

A television channel reported last night that Tharoor could be romantically linked to Pushkar.

There were more tweets by Modi to express his surprise: "Twenty five per cent of the Kochi team is given free to Rendezvous Sports for life. The same equity is non dilutable in perpetuity. What does that mean? Why? Wait." "Who are the shareholders of Rendezvous. And why have they been given this 100s of million dollar bonanza?"

While the Kochi franchise has not said much on the issue apart from their line about submitting all details to the BCCI, Modi was specific in his information.

He listed: "Rendezvous free equity held by Kisan, Shailender & Pushpa Gaikwad, Sunanda Pushkar, Puja Gulathi, Jayant Kotalwar, Vishnu Prasad, Sundip Agarwal."