T20 Cricket News

The IPL controversy has taken an ugly turn with the release of email correspondence in which Lalit Modi, the league's chairman and commissioner, has contested the validity of the governing council meeting called for April 26. An earlier email leaked to the media, also between Modi and BCCI president Shashank Manohar, has Modi suggesting the release of ownership details of all franchises. This development comes about even as income-tax officials extended their operations to the offices of other franchises and the TV broadcast rights holders in the most coordinated and high-profile exercise seen for a long time in India .

The more bitter battle, though, is being fought in cyberspace. Modi's mail to Manohar today suggests that the April 26 meeting, is invalid since it has been called by N Srinivasan, a member of the council only by virtue of being BCCI secretary. However, when contacted by Cricinfo, Srinivasan was unambiguous on the validity of the meeting. "I am the convenor of the governing council. It should take place", he said.

The other mail chain - which Cricinfo has accessed - dates from April 14, three days after Modi's original tweet revealing the Kochi franchise shareholding structure. It begins with a mail from Modi to "friends" - said to be 71 council members, officials and stakeholders - suggesting that "propriety and fair play demand" that the IPL release the names of all stake-holders.

"We should as public body disclose ownership details along with name of directors of all franchisees once again. Earlier we at the time of bidding only disclosed the names and share holding. If everyone is okay with this we will issue the same right away, that way all doubts and aspirations (sic) being cast on IPL franchises and members of GC [governing council] appropriately rebutted. I hope you all agree with the same."

The next day, the mail chain shows, there was a reply from Manohar. "The issue is complex and needs detailed deliberations and legal implications need to be gone into and hence can be considered at the GC meeting, where all documents and papers relating to the bids are available."

The implication is that Manohar and others who echoed his views in the mail chain were delaying the release of information that had been deemed questionable.

"Modi in his twitter posted details of Kochi franchisee. On the basis of that media pounced on him seeking to know as to why he did not disclose details of the other teams pertaining to existing eight teams," Manohar told PTI on Wednesday. "The question is as to why Mr Modi did not disclose this for three years when these eight team documents were available with him since 2007.

"We cannot take any decision in haste, so a meeting has been convened at Mumbai for April 26, 2010. Mr Modi has waited for three years and another ten days would only mean that there is delay for three years and ten days."

The news come on a day when several IPL franchises were raided by the tax department. The offices of Kolkata Knight Riders and the Cricket Association of Bengal were inspected, after which the Kolkata franchise's office in Mumbai was also checked. "The income tax officials are here looking for papers related to IPL. We are cooperating with them," CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya's personal assistant said in Kolkata.

There were also raids on the office of India Cements, who are the owners of Chennai Super Kings, and of Deccan Chronicle, the group behind Deccan Chargers.

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