Lalit Modi Confesses BCCI’s Role in Squashing the ICL; Denies SLPL Knowledge

It is interesting that a year after he was pushed out of the IPL, Lalit Modi has developed a conscience to confess his role in ensuring that the purpose of the Indian Cricket League ( the ICL ) was defeated.

Indian Cricket League ( ICL )

Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman and commissioner, used the opportunity of his name being dragged in the controversy revolving around the Sri Lankan Premier League ( SLPL ) to disclose BCCI’s hand in making sure the ICL suffered an early demise. Although it was not hidden as to the influence behind the decision to bring the ICL into disrepute, Modi makes sensational claims that further fortify the idea that the ICC is a body governed indirectly by the BCCI.

Modi has been holed up in London since the controversies regarding financial irregularities surfaced during the IPL 3 season. In order to preserve the brand that is the IPL, the BCCI cut off all ties from Modi and instead brought forth criminal charges against him. Modi has thereafter been unable to return to India or fight the charges with conclusive outcome with matters continuing to fought in and out of court.

While the BCCI has restricted the Indian cricketers from playing in the Sri Lankan Premier League stating that the SLPL is not entirely owned by the Sri Lankan cricket board but rather by a private firm based in Singapore, it is being alleged that the BCCI suspects that Modi is behind the enterprise and is willing to cut and strain ties with the SLC rather than let their players fall once again into the hands of the man who engineered the IPL to be a money spinning extravaganza for the board.

Modi, however, has denied any knowledge of the SLPL and instead has trained his gun on exposing the BCCI’s hand to ensure that the ICL that preceded the IPL would never really take off. The ICL came into being about six months before the IPL and at the time, the BCCI suffered a blow with several Indian cricketers as well as foreign cricketers signing up with what was then termed the rebel league that was the first of its kind Twenty20 league.

Piping the IPL by launching the venture, the ICL eventually faced hurdles that left the cricketers in the lurch without a pay cheque or a contract. The ICC, through BCCI intervention, had left many boards ruing losing the opportunity to field their own cricketers because the cricketers were branded as the rebel league cricketers, robbing cricket of several prominent names. While the BCCI was quite content, there was discontent across other boards who did not preserve the ban on their cricketers, a year’s ban eventually that ended many careers in a mass exodus, because of the sudden loss of talent as a result of it.

Modi used his social networking page on Twitter once more as has become his mouthpiece to admit his own role in ensuring the ICL was buried but also, of how the BCCI influenced the ICC into changing its constitution in order to kill the rebel league. This is what Modi had to say:

ICC set up a three member committee with me, Giles Clarke President ECB and Norman Arendse President CSA to draft the new constitution. BCCI called every member of ICC to ensure that they all help in changing the ICC constitution to outlaw ICL.

When I was at BCCI, the mandate given then was to scuttle ICL. BCCI arm-twisted every cricket board and ICC to change there constitution. The constitution of every board was changed and ICC made ICL redundant by its act - by making it unauthorised cricket.

Players were told do not play for ICL or we will blacklist you. This then the BCCI had to implement through change of constitution. BCCI even terminated Zee Sports contract unfairly as they had launched ICL and BCCI wanted a window for IPL.”

The final straw was to offer ICL players an amnesty scheme so that they would desert ICL and join IPL.

BCCI then called every member of the ICC to ensure that they all help in changing the ICC constitution to outlaw ICL. ICC set up a three member committee with me, Giles Clarke (ECB) and Norman Arendse (CSA) to draft the new constitution.

It was approved and implemented with lightning speed by BCCI. Result - demise of ICL.

Yes I was part of the BCCI when we scuttled ICL. But I have no personal issues with ICL. I’m of the opinion that more competition in the game is good for the game and its players

Yes I admit it was a mistake to have systematically used everything in BCCI’s arsenal to finish ICL. (But) I have always done what’s required by any organization I have worked with. I guess I do my job well. That’s why I give results.