BCCI President Shashank Manohar on Monday gave a clean chit to the successful bid by Rendezvous Sports World which bagged the Kochi IPL franchise for USD 333 million and said the Board was not concerned whether the bid-winner gives away sweat equity or not.
"That's been accepted and document is signed. And we're not concerned if he (Rendezvous owner) gives sweat equity to someone or not. That's his problem, he can give 100 per cent as sweat equity," Manohar told reporters at a press conference here.
The Kochi franchise was under the scanner after the now-suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi revealed its ownership pattern by stating that Sunanda Pushkar, a friend of former junior foreign minister Shashi Tharoor, owned free equity in the consortium.
Modi accused Tharoor of asking him not to reveal the ownership details -- a charge denied by the former minister who had to resign in the wake of the controversy.
Manohar also said there were no irregularities with regard to the two new IPL franchises -- Kochi and Pune (Sahara Adventure Group).
'There is no question of irregularities with regard to the two new franchises. Because of the bid conditions, which were unreasonable when the first tender was issued, the (IPL) Governing Council took a decision to cancel that tender," Manohar said.
"As far the two new bids are concerned there is no irregularity as far as far as the Board is concerned. There is a complaint made by Kochi franchise that they were arm-twisted by Modi to surrender their rights in favour of somebody else," Manohar said.
Manohar brushed aside talks that former Board president Sharad Pawar or his family members were involved with the new bids or bids for the earlier eight franchisees.
"Those allegations, to the best of my knowledge, are incorrect. There was no involvement of any of the family members of Pawar even in the earlier bids because the bid documents are here. The bid documents have also been taken by the I-T Department (for scrutiny)," he said. PTI
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