Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has leveled fresh allegations of auction manipulation against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) owner and former BCCI president N. Srinivasan. According to Modi, when he started exposing cases of indirect tampering, Srinivasan became staunchly opposed to him. He further alleged that Srinivasan requested that he remove Sri Lankan cricketer Thisara Perera from CSK’s roster, facilitating the selection of England’s star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. Flintoff was eventually secured by the franchise for a then record bid of ₹7.5 crore during the 2009 IPL player auction.
In a recent interview, Lalit Modi accused N. Srinivasan of manipulating the IPL auction process to ensure that CSK acquired Andrew Flintoff. Modi revealed that he instructed teams not to bid for Flintoff at Srinivasan’s behest, emphasizing that CSK was firm about securing the England all-rounder.
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.
Lalit Modi discussed the difficulties he faced in organizing the IPL, revealing that Srinivasan initially questioned the league’s potential success before eventually becoming a major opponent. Modi further alleged that Srinivasan interfered with umpire decisions to benefit Chennai Super Kings, describing it as a form of “indirect fixing.”
CSK faced a ban in the past
Under the leadership of legendary M.S Dhoni Chennai Super Kings became one of the best teams in the tournament and won five titles (a joint record with Mumbai Indians). However, CSK faced a crushing blow after suffering a ban for two years (2016-2017) after the allegations of spot-fixing and betting.
The Supreme Court of India established a three-person committee, headed by former Chief Justice R M Lodha, The Justice Lodha Committee found the evidence leading to a two-year ban of the franchise from the tournament. The key official of CSK Gurunath Meiyappan faced a lifetime ban from all BCCI matches.
Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
