CSK exposed!! Accused in fixing by IPL owner right after Mega Auction
Published - 27 Nov 2024, 11:02 AM | Updated - 27 Nov 2024, 11:37 PM
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Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has shared auction-fixing allegations against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) owner and former BCCI president N. Srinivasan.
Lalit Modi stated that when he began exposing indirect fixing, N. Srinivasan turned completely against him.
Srinivasan asked then-IPL commissioner Lalit Modi to exclude Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera from CSK's roster so that English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff could be picked. The flamboyant all-rounder was bought by the Chennai team for a then-record fee of ₹7.5 crore in the 2009 IPL player auction.
Flintoff had a disappointing IPL campaign for the Chennai Super Kings despite high expectations from the English all-rounder. He scored 62 runs in three matches at an average of 31 with a strike rate below 120. With the ball, the former fast bowler took only two wickets at an economy rate of 9.55.
I Gave Andrew Flintoff To N Srinivasan - Lalit Modi
In a recent interview, Lalit Modi said that N. Srinivasan influenced the IPL auction to ensure Andrew Flintoff was picked by CSK. Modi admitted that he asked teams not to bid for Flintoff at Srinivasan’s request, stating that CSK was determined to secure the player.
"Pick out everything—auction rigging. I gave Flintoff to Srinivasan. No doubts about it; every team knew about it. Srinivasan wasn’t going to let the IPL happen. He was a thorn in our Board. Yes, we told everybody not to pick ‘Flintoff.’ Yes, that I did—because Srinivasan said he wanted it," Lalit Modi said.
He Was Putting A Chennai Umpire On A Chennai Game - Lalit Modi
Lalit Modi opened up about the challenges of organizing the IPL. He said that Srinivasan initially doubted the success of the IPL and later became a significant adversary. Modi accused Srinivasan of manipulating umpire decisions to favor Chennai Super Kings, which he considered "indirect fixing."
"When you're trying to organize an event like the IPL, and I'm doing it single-handedly, you need to remove every thorn. What is bigger for the game? Every player is there only for three months, maybe three years. He didn’t like the IPL and he didn’t think it would work, but then it started to work."
"When everybody started going back-to-back, he was also a member of the board. He was a big adversary of mine. I went up against him, and he did many things. Umpire fixing—he accused me of it, and I accused him right back. He would change the umpire."
"At first, I didn’t think much about it. But when I realized he was putting a Chennai umpire on a Chennai game, it became an issue for me. That’s called indirect fixing. When I started exposing those things, he went totally against me."
CSK Won Five Titles in the History of IPL
CSK is one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL. The Chennai-based franchise has won five IPL titles (a joint record with Mumbai Indians) in the tournament. Legendary MS Dhoni was the captain of the team in all their title wins. Notably, CSK was banned for two years in 2016-17.
