Crack widens in BCCI

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),cracks were so visible, that, became dramatically public following the resignations of secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke on Friday night.

The resignations came even as the BCCI moved to limit the damage caused by the revelation that Chennai Super Kings’ Gurunath Meiyappan had been warned by the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and that he had shared this information with actor and bookie Vindoo Dara Singh.

Srinivasan denies reports of ICC warnings

Mr. Srinivasan, for his part, was quick to deny reports that the ICC had informed the BCCI of its warning to Meiyappan. “The ICC did not share any information with the BCCI on this matter.”

BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said “the BCCI office at Cricket Centre, Mumbai, doesn’t have communication from ICC about IPL VI.”

Special Report from The Hindu

Shoumojit Banerjee reports from Mumbai (for The Hindu):

A top police officer said that an official from the ICC’s ACSU had given an oral warning to Mr. Meiyappan. “By his [Mr. Meiyappan’s] own admission, the warning ostensibly pertained to the company he kept,” he said.

He also said that the BCCI may not have been aware of the warning. “To the best of our knowledge, the BCCI’s name has not figured in the conversation.” Mr. Meiyappan, it would appear, never sought an explanation as to the cause of this warning, stating that he “did not have the courage” to do so.

Crime Branch sources also said the CSK Team Principal had informed the arrested actor and bookie, Vindoo Dara Singh, about this warning. “Be careful, I have been warned,” is what Mr. Meiyappan is allegedly said to have told Mr. Singh.

Trivedi to be prosecution witness

Meanwhile, in yet another development in New Delhi, Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) player Siddharth Trivedi will be a prosecution witness in the spot-fixing case, in which three of his team colleagues — S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — have been arrested.

The 30-year-old Trivedi, a medium pacer who represents Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy, had played 17 matches for RR in the recently concluded IPL 6. He had allegedly refused to accept an invitation by Ajit Chandila to attend a party arranged by bookies, while also refusing money and gifts offered by them.