BCCI chief to defy calls to quit over IPL scandal

FE Team | Published: February 12, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

N Srinivasan

NEW DELHI, Feb 11 (AFP): New world cricket boss N Srinivasan was expected Tuesday to defy calls to step down as India cricket chief despite a damning court inquiry that implicated a relative in illegal betting.
After an extensive investigation, a Supreme Court panel said son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was guilty of illegal betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and allegations of match-fixing against him should be further probed.
The three-member panel's findings released Monday were a blow to Srinivasan coming just days after he was elected the first chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in a shakeup of the world body.
AC Muthiah, a former head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said Srinivasan's role in the sport's administration was untenable following the findings.
"It has definitely weakened Srinivasan's position," Muthiah told the Times of India Tuesday. "He has to recuse himself according to corporate principles because it is a clear case of conflict of interest."
"Corporate governance is a very important factor. You can't have tainted people to run international cricket," he said.
But Srinivasan, who successfully weathered last year's betting and fixing IPL scandals, was expected to brush aside the calls to quit the BCCI, with supporters saying he has not been accused of wrongdoing.
"I can't see Srinivasan stepping down just because of the report since he himself has not been found guilty of anything," a senior BCCI member said.
"Besides, he is in total control of the board. Who is going to go against him?" the member told the news agency on condition of anonymity.