The Enforcement Directorate, in its bid to crack down on the reports of financial irregularities, has summoned former Indian cricketer, Ravi Shastri. However, there is a small problem because Shastri is busy with commentary in England for the India England series.

Ravi Shastri’s time with the IPL governing council has made it incumbent upon him to respond the summons from the ED over issues revolving around financial irregularities that first hit the headlines during the IPL 3 following which Lalit Modi was first suspended and thereafter removed from the post of the IPL chairman and commissioner. Modi was slammed criminal charges by the cops on behalf of the BCCI even as Modi went into hiding in London, claiming death threats and has not been able to return to India for fear of being arrested with the ED tightening all entry points into the country.

Now Ravi Shastri has been asked to report to the Enforcement Directorate to clarify details as member of the IPL governing council. He will now have to depose before the ED in India. But there is a problem. While Shastri himself was not brought under the scanner, responding the summons will mean that Shastri will have to leave England, where he is currently as a cricket commentator for the ongoing India England series.

The IPL 3 controversies exposed the chaos behind the world’s most successful, rich Twenty20 league. The IPL had dominated and changed dynamics amongst teams and players, with players having the opportunity to make a fast buck over the Indian summer as Lalit Modi and his cronies devised a system to attract outside investment within the framework of the league that would ultimately make the already coffer brimming BCCI richer beyond imagination. Along the path though there were serious allegations of kick backs, misappropriation of funds, nepotism and Modi involving some of his own family albeit indirectly in the various team ownership plans. Within it all, Modi was forced to take cover with the IPL controversies running into the high millions. The BCCI had to absolve itself of all crime and ensure that the business aspect of the IPL carried on which basically meant taking Modi out of the board and then, taking action on all those suspect in the story, terminating the Rajasthan Royals and the Kings XI Punjab before both the teams earned their right to participate in the IPL 4 season albeit with a stay from the courts against the BCCI termination.

Although the IPL 4 season did go on, it was devoid of the peripheral entertainment that accompanied officially as part of the after hours while the case remains unresolved with no conclusion arrived at. However, the investigations itself have not come to a halt which explains why the ED is now hoping to get an inside view of things perhaps through the eyes of Ravi Shastri. However, this would pose a problem either way because Shastri would be committed to the commentary job in England and therefore, it may pose a problem responding to ED withi a weak as is being demanded of him.