T20 Cricket News

Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer of the BCCI, has said the board does not have the original documents relating to several important IPL contracts that are now being sought by income-tax officers. These include the three losing bids in the 2008 auction where the eight franchises were bought, and the agreement with Multi Screen Media (MSM), which holds the rights to broadcast the tournament.

Shetty, who has been entrusted by the BCCI president, Shashank Manohar, to look into the missing documents, says he has been told the papers are with Lalit Modi, the league's suspended chairman.

"The tax authorities and Enforcement Directorate officials are seeking a lot of papers connected with the IPL and in some cases we don't have the original documents. We have only xerox copies, which they feel is not proper," Shetty told CNN-IBN, an English news channel. "According to [IPL CEO] Sundar Raman the original documents are with Lalit Modi. My job is to put up a list of documents that were supposed to be with IPL and original documents obtained in each case.

"In January 2008 there were 11 bidders (to own the franchises) and only the original documents relating to the eight winning bidders are with BCCI. We don't have the original documents of the three losing bidders, we have only xerox copies. Those documents should be with Modi."

Shetty echoed the words of Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, that the MSM-WSG issue was not discussed in IPL Governing Council. "It was reported at the BCCI Working Committee meeting that there has been a fresh agreement entered into between BCCI and Sony Max, the amount for which was negotiated. Nothing beyond that," he said.

He also backed Manohar's view that the board did not interfere in the IPL's functioning. "The IPL started as a separate wing of BCCI," Shetty said. "A separate office was set up and several people employed. Lalit's being BCCI vice-president [showed] his authority and that he was running the show. And the administrative wing of BCCI therefore did not interfere in the IPL's working."

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