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IPL chief does a hit-wicket as rival seizes on tweets

Rajasthan cricket secretary seeks to know IPL boss’ role in Rajasthan Royals.

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Who owns Rajasthan Royals (RR)? What is the extent of IPL commissioner Lalit Modi’s role in the franchise? Politicians and cricket administrators across India were busy grappling with these questions on Tuesday after Modi got into a battle of tweets with his one-time-aide-turned-rival Sanjay Dixit, secretary, Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA).

Even as Modi was busy in a slanging match with minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor over the latter’s involvement in the new IPL franchise Kochi, the RCA secretary, a senior IAS officer, fired in a few bouncers of his own on the sidelines.

Dixit was Modi’s right-hand man when the IPL commissioner had become the president of the RCA in 2005. But in 2008, the two had taken on each other for the president’s post. Dixit won the election comfortably. In his first tweet, Dixit categorically asked his rival: “Do disclose details about your brother-in-law and step-son-in-law and their backdoor entry into Jaipur IPL and JCV Mauritius… what I meant was Gaurav Burman. Who is Mohit Burman and how is he an investor in Kings XI Punjab?”

Dixit had a series of questions on RR as well. “Lalit, please tell me how the franchisee contract was signed by Jaipur IPL when the bid was by Emerging Media?” And later, perhaps frustrated by the silence at the other end, Dixit tweeted: “He is not answering some simple questions. Tell me what should I do?”

So who are these relatives Dixit has referred to? One of them is Modi’s brother-in-law Suresh Chellaram, an entrepreneur based in Nigeria, who holds a 44.1% stake in RR. Though actor Shilpa Shetty, her husband Raj Kundra and UK-based entrepreneur Manoj Badale are seen as the public faces of the successful franchise, it is Chellaram who has the biggest stake in the team. While Badale has a 32.4% stake, two companies promoted by Kundra, Shetty and media mogul Lachlan Murdoch hold the remaining 23% shares.

RR was bought by its owners for a mere $67 million in 10 equal instalments in 2008. Later, nearly 15% shares were bought by Kundra’s company for double the original price.

Gaurav Burman, the other relative in Dixit’s line of fire, is Modi’s stepson-in-law. Gaurav’s brother Mohit is co-owner of Kings XI Punjab with actor Preity Zinta and several others.

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