The Rajasthan Royals (RR) is adopting the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) policy, well almost. In a statement on Friday, the franchisee tried to distance itself from Raj Kundra saying he is a “minority shareholder who has no involvement in the running of the franchisee”.
After Gurunath Meiyappan was summoned for questioning, CSK had promptly disowned him, saying he was just a “member of the team” and not the owner or team principal.
The reason why the franchisees have tried to undermine the role of Kundra and Gurunath is clear. IPL’s rule 11.3 states that if any owner/team/player brings the IPL/BCCI to disrepute, the team will be thrown out of the event. If Kundra is found guilty, RR face the danger of expulsion from the IPL.
Rajasthan Royals’ attempt to underplay Shilpa Shetty’s husband’s role is understandable, but it may not be enough to escape expulsion if rules are followed properly because, even on paper, he is a co-owner (11.7 per cent shareholder). For all his presence in the dugout or proximity to the players, BCCI president N Srinivasan’s son-in-law has nothing to do with ownership. Still, the BCCI had suspended him pending completion of the probe.
Saying that Kundra “has no involvement in the running of the franchise” RR is trying to distance itself from him. The statement said: “If he is proven guilty, or has breached any regulations, he will be suspended and will also forfeit his shares.”
The Delhi Police, who seized his passport, had said on Thursday that Kundra confessed to betting. However, they also said since they did not have enough material evidence against Kundra, they couldn’t arrest him. Kundra has said he will forfeit his share if proven guilty and hired top lawyer Majeed Memon. The BCCI has said it would discuss the issue at its Working Committee meeting on June 10 in Delhi.