NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra has been suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting scandal, Indian media reported on Monday.
The BCCI took the decision in its working committee meet in the Capital on Monday.
Kundra was banned pending inquiry after he had confessed to Delhi Police that he indulged in betting during the IPL.
Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar had said that Kundra had confessed to betting in IPL matches, adding a new twist to the ongoing betting and spot-fixing scandal that has rocked Indian cricket.
Kundra and his wife Shilpa Shetty have 11.7% stakes in Rajasthan Royals through Kuki Investment. Suresh Chellaram and Family (Tresco International Limited) have the bulk of the shares with 44.2% while Manoj Badale (Emerging Media) has 32.4% stakes. Lachlan Murdoch (Blue Water Estate Limited) has 11.7% stakes.
Rajasthan Royals has been at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal with India paceman S Sreesanth and three of their players — Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and Amit Singh — being arrested on charges of spot-fixing. All the four players are still in judicial custody.
BCCI officials had already made it clear that there was ‘no proof’ against Kundra but the BCCI probe commission will still investigate all possible angles to determine whether the claims made by Delhi Police on Kundra are valid in a court of law or not.
The board’s head of the interim arrangement, Jagmohan Dalimya, was forced to call the meeting after the Delhi Police claimed that Kundra, a minority shareholder in Rajasthan Royals, has confessed to betting during the IPL matches.
If the charges are proved, Royals face the prospect of being terminated from the IPL and to avoid this fate, the franchise has already distanced itself from Kundra.
The team is, in fact, ready to dump Kundra to save the franchise, stating that the businessman has no involvement in its running and would be suspended if found guilty.
Royals have also declared that Kundra would forfeit his shares in the franchise if he is found to be in breach of any regulations.
As per clause 11.3 (C) of the franchise agreement, a team can be terminated in the event of any of the owners bringing the game into disrepute.
