Mohammed Shami’s IPL participation on hold
The cricketer will be able to play the league only if the report of a corruption investigation against him is favourable.
Published : Mar 16, 2018 15:16 IST
Mohammed Shami’s participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) will depend upon the findings of BCCI’s Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) chief Neeraj Kumar, acting Board president C. K. Khanna has said. Shami was retained by Delhi Daredevils for Rs. three crore.
Kumar has been instructed by Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai to investigate corruption allegations made by Shami’s wife Hasin Jahan. According to Jahan, Shami had taken money from a U.K.-based businessman through a Pakistani woman.
“Since ACU chief Neeraj Kumar is investigating and has been given a seven-day time frame, any decision will be taken after he submits his report. The final decision will be taken by the CoA,” Khanna told PTI on the sidelines of the IPL Governing Council meeting.
The BCCI has already withheld Shami’s central contract in the wake of Jahan’s allegations of domestic violence and infidelity against the pacer.
₹18 crore for opening ceremony
In another major decision taken at the Governing Council meeting, ₹ 18 crore was earmarked for organising the IPL opening ceremony. “The finance team of BCCI has decided that ₹ 18 crore will be spent on the opening ceremony even though the sanctioned budget was ₹ 30 crore,” Khanna said.
The IPL playoff matches have been awarded to Pune while Rajkot and the newly-built stadium in Lucknow have been kept on standby in case any centre faces difficulty in hosting matches. Kings XI Punjab has already asked relevant authorities to shift their matches when the Chandigarh airport will be closed for repaid work.
During the opening ceremony on April 7, all the eight IPL captains will be present unlike in the past. Usually, captains playing on the following day of the ceremony miss the ceremony.
The BCCI has also decided to enter into an agreement with the Tata Trust for a social cause.