Rajasthan Royals' owner Raj Kundra has admitted to indulging in betting and placed bets on his own team, Delhi Police claimed on Thursday, as it confiscated his passport to ensure that he does not leave the country during investigations into the IPL spot-fixing scandal. Kundra, a British national, was questioned for 11 hours on Wednesday, after cricketer Sidharth Trivedi told police that Kundra's business partner-friend Umesh Goenka used to ask for information regarding team formation and pitches. Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said, "He has admitted to betting. He used to bet on his own team. We have also come to know that he has lost a lot of money in betting. He used to bet through Goenka, who is also a bookie," he said. Kundra is the second IPL team owner after Chennai Super Kings' Gurunath Meiyappan who is in the dock for alleged betting. If the charges against the owners are proved, BCCI can suspend the teams from the IPL.
The corruption scandal has overshadowed the on-field performance of Rajasthan Royals during the sixth edition of the IPL, which concluded on May 26. The Royals finished third this season, their first top-four finish since their triumphant campaign in IPL's inaugural edition in 2008. Since the 2008 triumph, Royals have been embroiled in various controversies. The team - owned by a consortium of four business conglomerates - was often accused of having been given by soft corner by founding chairman Lalit Modi. Suresh Chellaram, whose family owns the largest stake in the Royals, is Modi's brother-in-law. As a result, Modi's ouster from the BCCI and IPL was soon followed by the BCCI expelling Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab for a breach of the franchise agreement. However, Royals took the legal recourse and were reinstated into the IPL well in time before the 2011 auction.
0 comments:
Post a Comment