Thaindian News

Mumbai, Dec 13 (ANI): A week after losing the elections of the Rajasthan Cricket Association to CP Joshi, IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is in a new problem now with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deciding to remove him from the top post of the cash-rich T20 league (IPL).

Modi, who has been successful of conducting both the editions of the IPL, is said to have developed rifts with the BCCI functionaries.

According to BCCI sources, the move to replace Modi has gained momentum.

“There is a move within the BCCI to remove Modi as IPL Chairman and Commissioner. The argument is that the IPL is a BCCI event and logically the BCCI president should head it as an ex officio member,” said a BCCI source.

“It does not mean that Modi will have no role at all in the running of the IPL but it is only that he should not be heading the show,” the source disclosed.

No BCCI official was available for comment, but is disclosed that BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, known to be at loggerheads with Modi, is in the forefront of this campaign.

Modi, who was given a free hand to run IPL during Sharad Pawar’s tenure, has not enjoyed the same position after Shashank Manohar taking charge.

Efforts to clip Modi’s wings started from the second edition of the IPL, which was staged in South Africa because of the general elections in India. The first such attempt was made when the BCCI decided to terminate the contract of IMG as the event manager for IPL.

Meanwhile Modi, aware of the changing equation within the BCCI top brass, is learnt to have extended the olive branch to Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former Chief of the BCCI.

Modi had recently been to Kolkata and was seen having a long discussion with Dalmiya.

The auctioning process for the third edition of the IPL that will be held in March-April next year has already begun.

Modi has great plans for the third edition of the IPL, and he also announced recently that the teams would be increased to ten from the 2011 IPL. (ANI)