Supreme Court splits BCCI, Gavaskar interim head (Third Lead)

New Delhi, March 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday virtually split the Indian cricket board, naming the legendary Sunil Gavaskar as its interim president in place of the tainted incumbent N. Srinivasan.

But a bench headed by Justice A.K. Patnaik said Gavaskar will only be in charge of the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting April 16 in the UAE and asked vice president Shivlal Yadav to oversee the rest of the work of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The court said Gavaskar would no more be a BCCI-contracted cricket commentator and he would be adequately compensated for it by the board.

The court also barred all those associated with Srinivasan’s India Cements company, which owns IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, from functioning in the BCCI.

The court, however, allowed Chennai Super Kings as well as Rajasthan Royals, whose owners too are facing charges of betting, to take part in this year’s IPL.

Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who was the team principal of Chennai Super Kings, was arrested last year on charges of betting in the IPL.

Rajasthan Royals’ co-owner Raj Kundra, a British citizen, was interrogated as well for his alleged role in betting.

The Mukul Mugdal committee set up by the apex court has also indicted Meiyappan for involvement in betting.