New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) co-owner Ness Wadia being sentenced for drugs possession while on a skiing holiday to Japan could mean trouble for the IPL team. As per the operational rules of the cash-rich league, no team official involved with the league can act in a manner which brings disrepute to the team, the league, the BCCI or the game on or off the field. If guilty, the person’s action can even lead to suspension of the team.
While the matter is required to be first sent to the commission for investigation, the commission will then forward its finding to the ombudsman of the BCCI.
Citing the manner in which Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had to bear the brunt for the acts of the team principal, a senior BCCI functionary said Wednesday that KXIP could be in deep trouble.
“KXIP are unfortunately looking at suspension as a best case scenario and termination as a worst case scenario due to the conviction of an owner in a criminal case of drug possession. No less than the Lodha panel had suspended the CSK for two years because their team official was accused of betting. In this case we have an owner convicted of drug possession by a criminal court in Japan. If he was a state cricket official he would have stood disqualified from holding office automatically,” stated a top BCCI official
“This also exposes the discriminatory provisions of the new BCCI constitution which is draconian for a state association but doesn’t put any restriction on a franchise official even though IPL performances clearly matter more for selection to the Indian team than Ranji performances,” the functionary added.
As per the IPL Operational Rules accessed by IANS, clause 14 of section 2 of the IPL Operational Rules state that each person subject to the operational rules shall not, whether during a match or otherwise, act or omit to act in any way which would or might reasonably be anticipated to have an adverse effect on the image and/or reputation of any Team, any Franchisee, any Player, any Team Official, the BCCI, the League and/or the Game or which would otherwise bring any of the foregoing into disrepute.
It further states that the Ombudsman and the commission may suspend a team or franchisee from the league if any person representing the team/franchise breaches clause 14 of section 2.
A BCCI executive said that it was strange that no statement had been made on such a matter by CEO Rahul Johri.
“It has been 24 hours and one has not heard a peep out of the BCCI CEO on a matter of this magnitude. Are we looking at a scenario where every transgression is becoming an opportunity for someone to try and build friendships at the cost of BCCI’s image and the purity of the game and its administration?” the executive questioned.