What you need to know about CSK, RR and IPL scandal

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni (R), CSK owner Gurunath Meiyappan (C) and Ben Hilfenhaus (L) attend the presentation ceremony during the IPL Twenty20 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils at The M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 12, 2012.

Observing a lot of opinions on the IPL corruption scandal and remarks from the Supreme Court, I have come up with a short post; in fact, it is more like a compilation of various facts.

First of all, the perception regarding the hatred against Chennai Super Kings: there is no such conspiracy to keep CSK or Rajasthan Royals out of the league. ‘Hate’ is probably a big word to use considering the team has a lot of Indian players. The call for kicking CSK out of the IPL is based on the findings of the Mukul Mudgal Committee and the clause in the franchise agreement.

Clause 11.3 (c) of the Franchise Agreement says a franchise may be terminated with immediate effect if “the Franchisee, any Franchisee Group Company and /or any Owner acts in any way which has a material adverse effect upon the reputation or standing of the League, BCCI-IPL, BCCI, the Franchisee, the Team (or any other team in the League) and/or the game of cricket.”

The above clause is why there is a call to terminate CSK and RR from the IPL. Since the allegations against Raj Kundra needs further probe, let’s take CSK into consideration. The question regarding CSK is how much Gurunath Meiyappan is related with the team?

When the scandal broke out, CSK distanced itself from Gurunath Meiyappan. The hilarious thing here is that the BCCI investigation committee which was formed subsequently said there is no proof of any wrong doing. The members of that panel are Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian. Then the apex court appointed the Mukul Mudgal committee to probe IPL spot-fixing and betting allegations. Mudgal came up with a report which, in a gist, said:

1. Allegations against Meiyappan of Chennai Super Kings for betting stands proved. The point here being Gurunath is indeed a part of CSK.

2. Allegations against Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra needs further investigation.

3. The conflict of interest of Srinivasan may ruin the game and affect the credibility of investigation.

Based on the findings of Mudgal report and the franchise agreement, CSK and RR can be terminated and should be. Apart from the emotions, fanfare etc., if you are a part of an organization, you have to abide by the rules. When you don’t, you deserve to be kicked out. So, dear fans, your emotions don’t matter. What matters is the credibility of the league and the sport. For that sake, let’s hope that the Supreme Court sets a strong precedent.

And there was another perception today that CSK have got away with it. No, this is just a temporary verdict. The case is going on, and the Court is yet to dissect various aspects of Mudgal report. I believe that the Court has allowed CSK and RR to play in the IPL 7 because it is yet to realize that Gurunath is a part of CSK.