Indian cricket skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni could face the heat when the Supreme Court begins to study the report of the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee it had appointed to investigate into spot-fixing and betting in cricket's affluent Indian Premier League.
The hearings are expected to start next month.
The report states, “Mr. M.S. Dhoni, Mr. N. Srinivasan and officials of India Cements took the stand that Mr. Meiyappan had nothing to do with the cricketing affairs of Chennai Super Kings and was a mere cricket enthusiast supporting CSK."
It is this testimony that could land him in trouble because the report concludes, “The role of Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan in Chennai Super Kings as the team official stands proved and the allegations of betting and passing on information against Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan stand proved. However the allegations of fixing require further investigation.”
The conclusion clearly contradicts Dhoni’s statement to the committee, which was made under oath.
“It came to light that Mr. Meiyappan would be with the team (CSK) during the practice sessions, would be present during team meetings, at the auction table, in the owners dug out, participated in the IPL owners meet, travelled with the team, participated in the IPL owners workshop representing himself to be the owner of CSK and held out to the world at large as the Team Principal/ Team Owner of CSK," Mudgal said in the report.
The report concludes that Meyippan was a stakeholder in CSK and that he passed match information to bookies, especially Vindoo Dara Singh, son of late Bollywood actor Dara Singh.
Former Indian skipper Bishen Singh Bedi is among those who believe that the Indian skipper could be in trouble. “Dhoni has been the captain of CSK since its inception and it will be very difficult for him to convince the Supreme Court that he was not aware of the team management,” said Bedi, who had played for India from 1966 to 1979.
Besides the issue of Meiyappan’s role, the commission also looked into match fixing.
One of the matches in question was played between CSK and the Rajasthan Royals on May 12, 2013, in Jaipur. CSK scored 141 for 4 wickets in 20 overs and RR won the match by scoring 144 for 5 in 17.1 overs. In the match, Suresh Raina (1) and Dhoni (2) got out cheaply.
The India Today website reported on Saturday that transcripts of the conversations between Meiyappan and Vindoo Dara Singh indicate that almost half of the matches of the last edition of the IPL were fixed.
The Indian skipper, recently back from New Zealand, has not reacted to the committee report. He dropped out of the side for the forthcoming Asia Cup, citing injuries.
In New Zealand, Dhoni had skipped the mandatory press conference before the start of the second test against hosts New Zealand. Indian media manager RN Baba said the Indian skipper would not take questions pertaining to IPL and spot-fixing allegations. “We will wait for the Supreme Court to complete its probe and cooperate fully,” Baba said in a telephone conversation from Wellington, New Zealand.
In Ranchi, home to Dhoni, boisterous fans disrupted traffic to vent their ire on the report last fortnight.
The protestors were led by Jitender Singh, president of the Dhoni Fan Club, who once wanted to create a temple in the honour of the Indian captain but was dissuaded by Paan Singh, the father of the skipper. Singh, who also organised rallies in Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Bokaro, said Dhoni was “unfairly targeted”. “He cannot compromise with his cricket,” Singh said in a telephone interview from Bokaro.
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The hearings are expected to start next month.
The report states, “Mr. M.S. Dhoni, Mr. N. Srinivasan and officials of India Cements took the stand that Mr. Meiyappan had nothing to do with the cricketing affairs of Chennai Super Kings and was a mere cricket enthusiast supporting CSK."
It is this testimony that could land him in trouble because the report concludes, “The role of Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan in Chennai Super Kings as the team official stands proved and the allegations of betting and passing on information against Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan stand proved. However the allegations of fixing require further investigation.”
The conclusion clearly contradicts Dhoni’s statement to the committee, which was made under oath.
“It came to light that Mr. Meiyappan would be with the team (CSK) during the practice sessions, would be present during team meetings, at the auction table, in the owners dug out, participated in the IPL owners meet, travelled with the team, participated in the IPL owners workshop representing himself to be the owner of CSK and held out to the world at large as the Team Principal/ Team Owner of CSK," Mudgal said in the report.
The report concludes that Meyippan was a stakeholder in CSK and that he passed match information to bookies, especially Vindoo Dara Singh, son of late Bollywood actor Dara Singh.
Former Indian skipper Bishen Singh Bedi is among those who believe that the Indian skipper could be in trouble. “Dhoni has been the captain of CSK since its inception and it will be very difficult for him to convince the Supreme Court that he was not aware of the team management,” said Bedi, who had played for India from 1966 to 1979.
Besides the issue of Meiyappan’s role, the commission also looked into match fixing.
One of the matches in question was played between CSK and the Rajasthan Royals on May 12, 2013, in Jaipur. CSK scored 141 for 4 wickets in 20 overs and RR won the match by scoring 144 for 5 in 17.1 overs. In the match, Suresh Raina (1) and Dhoni (2) got out cheaply.
The India Today website reported on Saturday that transcripts of the conversations between Meiyappan and Vindoo Dara Singh indicate that almost half of the matches of the last edition of the IPL were fixed.
The Indian skipper, recently back from New Zealand, has not reacted to the committee report. He dropped out of the side for the forthcoming Asia Cup, citing injuries.
In New Zealand, Dhoni had skipped the mandatory press conference before the start of the second test against hosts New Zealand. Indian media manager RN Baba said the Indian skipper would not take questions pertaining to IPL and spot-fixing allegations. “We will wait for the Supreme Court to complete its probe and cooperate fully,” Baba said in a telephone conversation from Wellington, New Zealand.
In Ranchi, home to Dhoni, boisterous fans disrupted traffic to vent their ire on the report last fortnight.
The protestors were led by Jitender Singh, president of the Dhoni Fan Club, who once wanted to create a temple in the honour of the Indian captain but was dissuaded by Paan Singh, the father of the skipper. Singh, who also organised rallies in Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Bokaro, said Dhoni was “unfairly targeted”. “He cannot compromise with his cricket,” Singh said in a telephone interview from Bokaro.
