Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings are
banned from Playing IPL for 2 Years
Justice Lodha said that even
though Rajasthan Royals claimed to be a franchise which was against corrupt
activities, three of its players were arrested in 2013 for spot-fixing. As a
result, RR have also been suspended for 2 years.
"The committee imposes
sanctions on Japiur IPL franchise (Rajasthan Royals): Suspend it from the
league for a period of two years," Justice Lodha said in the conference.
The Lodha commitee has also
banned Chennai Super Kings for a period of two years!
"The committee proposes to
impose sanctions on India Cements franchise (Chennai Super Kings): Suspend it
for a period of two years," it was said in the press conference.
The Lodha committee has imposed
the following sanctions against Raj Kundra: He is declared ineligible from
participating in cricket for five years. He is suspended for life. He is
suspended for life from being involved in the BCCI from any type of cricket
matches. The above sanctions shall run concurrently and shall commence from the
date of this order.
The Lodha committee has found
Gurunath Meiyappan guilty of betting and bringing a bad name to BCCI's image
and brand IPL, as a result of which Meiyappan has been banned for life from
participating in any cricket-related activity.
Two teams from cricket`s Indian
Premier League could be banned from the glitzy Twenty20 tournament when a
Supreme Court-appointed panel hands down its sentence on a corruption scandal.
Officials from the Chennai
Super Kings (CSK) and the Rajasthan Royals have already been found guilty of
betting on matches and their respective teams now face heavy sanctions after an
inquiry that also tainted International Cricket Council supremo Narayanaswami
Srinivasan.
An outright ban on the two
former champions would be a devastating blow to what is only an eight-team
tournament, and observers say former chief justice Rajendra Mal Lodha, who
heads the three-man panel, is more likely to announce heavy fines.
Lodha was appointed head of the
sentencing panel in January after the Supreme Court had found Royals` co-owner
Raj Kundra and CSK`s Gurunath Meiyappan guilty of betting on the outcome of
matches in 2013.
The court had rejected the
claims of Meiyappan, who had previously been described as team principal, that
he was merely an enthusiast.
The court also ruled at the
same time that Srinivasan, who is Meiyappan`s father-in-law, would be banned
from holding any post in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),
where he served as the president for three years from 2011.The outcome could
have major financial consequences for some of cricket`s biggest names as CSK
are captained by India`s ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni while Australia`s
star batsman Steve Smith is at the helm of the Rajastan Royals. The Royals are
coached by Indian great Rahul Dravid.
Cricket circles are abuzz with
speculation that the two teams will be suspended, but leading sports writer
Ayaz Memon predicted that the franchises would get away with heavy fines.
"I can`t see them being
banned because that could ruin the entire tournament and have a ripple effect
on sponsors and broadcasters," Memon told AFP.
"There is too much at
stake. My thinking is they will be fined heavily."
The 2013 IPL season was mired
in controversy after police launched legal proceedings against several
officials and cricketers, including former Test fast bowler Shanthakumaran
Sreesanth, for illegal betting and spot-fixing.
The IPL, a domestic tournament
which began in 2008, features the world`s top players signed up for huge fees
by companies and high-profile individuals in a mix of sport and entertainment.
But it has been continuously
dogged by corruption allegations and Hiken Shah, a player from Mumbai, was
suspended indefinitely on Monday over an approach he made to an unnamed
team-mate before this year`s tournament in April-May.
The hugely popular Chennai
Super Kings are also the most successful team in the IPL, having won the
tournament in 2010 and 2011, and finished runners-up in 2008, 2012, 2013 and
2015.
Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural
event in 2008 under the captaincy of Australian spin legend Shane Warne, but
have failed to make the final since then.
The Lodha panel has also been
empowered to recommend changes in the BCCI constitution, but this is expected
to be taken up at a later date.
International news
organisations including Agence France-Presse have suspended on-field coverage
of matches hosted by the BCCI since 2012 after the board imposed restrictions
on picture agencies.
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