Monday, April 19, 2010
Dubai: A solution to the simmering row over Kochi franchise’s ownership appears possible following a meeting between the team’s new chairman Harshad Mehta and IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi who exuded confidence of an early resolution.
An aide of the Dubai-based Mehta, who also had a brief courtesy meeting with ICC’s Principal Advisor I S Bindra, said "he (Mehta) is not willing to comment anything until the IPL’s Governing Council meeting".
Asked to comment on Mehta’s meeting with Modi, the aide said "he would not like to comment on either". The meeting comes in the wake of reports that Sunanda Pushkar, a close friend of outgoing Union Minister of State for External Affair Shashi Tharoor, offered to surrender her sweat equity as she was distressed by the entire controversy.
"Kochi issue would be resolved. I am confident the Kochi team will continue and contribute to the success of IPL," a confident Modi had said.
Both Modi and Bindra, along with former BCCI president Sharad Pawar, are here for an ICC meeting. Modi said he had no personal issue either with the team owners or Tharoor, who is in the eye of a political storm after it was found that her friend Sunanda is one of the Rendezvous stakeholders.
"It is not Modi Vs Tharoor. It is not BJP Vs Congress or any other political party or political leader. My priority is cricket and we would resolve the entire issue at the earliest," Modi said.
Sunanda, on her part, has offered to give up her ’sweat equity’ of nearly 19 per cent of the 25 per cent free equity of Rendezvous in the Kochi franchise.
Although no details were available about the meeting between the two, Modi said that his sole interest was to promote IPL which was created jointly by everybody including all teams and BCCI and for whose success everybody is working together. Modi also refused to comment on Pushkar’s sweat equity, saying that everything would be set right. The raging controversy has led to speculation that Modi’s wings would soon be clipped with a section within BCCI miffed with his way of functioning.
Modi, however, claimed he had no difference with BCCI president Shashank Manohar. "I have no difference with Shashank Manohar and I have been asked to attend the ICC meeting (on his behalf)," Modi said.
The issue has been simmering since Modi revealed the ownership structure of the Kochi franchise on a social networking site, naming Pushkar in it.
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