CBI inquires Rajasthan Royals over 2011 jersey sponsorship deal
What’s the story?
Rajasthan Royals face yet another controversy as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have inquired about a jersey sponsorship deal in 2011 with Floriana, a Delhi-based cosmetic firm.
According to the Mumbai Mirror, the CBI sent a notice to the Royals’ office in Mumbai a few days back seeking details of the sponsorship deal and the transactions involved. A few questions were also directed to the Royals’ knowledge of the aforementioned company.
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The officials of the franchise, though, claim that they were unaware of the background of the company and also stated that they have complied with the notice immediately. “It is not exactly a notice. It was an inquiry sort of thing and we’ve replied to them immediately. We did not know what actually the background of the company was when we had signed them and we have found out about them (Floriana) only recently. We have not yet received full payment from them,” a Royals official was quoted by Mirror.
In case you didn’t know…
Controversy and Rajasthan Royals is not a new thing. Following the betting and match-fixing scandal in 2013 involving Raj Kundra, the co-owner, and a few players, the franchise was handed a ban of two years from the Indian Premier League.
Three of their player, Ajit Chandila, Ankit Chavan and S. Sreesanth, were handed severe punishment due to their involvement.
The heart of the matter
Floriana, the Delhi-based cosmetic company, is under investigation by the CBI for major frauds amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees. They have been found to be involved in a big financial scam and as they were the jersey sponsors of the Royals, the franchise was given a notice.
However, the franchise officials clarified it was not a notice and more of an inquiry. A YouTube video dating back to 2011, affirms the relationship between the franchise and the company. A certain Sanjay Jain is seen wearing a Royals’ jersey and speaking about the company.
The officials of the franchise claimed that they were looking to make a fresh start and all the controversies have been left behind. It is understood that all companies who have been in contact with Floriana at some point have been given notices by the CBI.
What’s next?
Rajasthan Royals are set to make a comeback to the IPL in next year’s edition. The officials said that they want to maintain a clean slate from here on.
Author’s Take
It is not exactly an ideal thing for Rajasthan Royals to get mired in controversy yet again. However, the fact that they are not directly related to this whole fiasco should give them some relief. As for the fans of the franchise, they will be hoping that their favourite team is back in action as soon as possible.