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New Delhi, July 14: The suspensions of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are only a temporary setback to the IPL and the Lodha Committee verdict will actually help restore people’s faith in the event, stated Justice Mukul Mudgal, who headed the committee which probed the IPL betting scam, here Tuesday.
“This is a very strong punishment. I think it will have a good effect on IPL, BCCI and the players. Many people feel it will have an adverse effect on the game but I think this is only a temporary setback and cricket will come out cleaner and people’s faith on IPL will be restored,” Mudgal said.
Former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said the board could have avoided such a situation if it had taken proper action at the appropriate time.
Even though, the BCCI took appropriate measures, it was slow to implement them. They did not visualise that this would go to Supreme Court. We could have avoided this earlier, we have to take a lesson,” he said.
Former BCCI president AC Muthiah, a known N Srinivasan-baiter, said, “Whatever has happened in the BCCI, nobody stood up for the wrong doing. All these rules were already in place but they were done to suit individuals. I think, IPL should be kept alive and BCCI needs to distance itself from IPL. It should be run by an independent body comprising eminent people.”
Former BCCI chief Inderjit Singh Bindra also hailed the decision. “A historic and landmark order. Beginning of the process of cleansing Indian cricket,” he wrote on his twitter handle.
“Srini (Srinivasan) is obviously guilty of protecting Guru (Gurunath Meiyappan) and CSK. BCCI should take immediate action against him by withdrawing his nomination to ICC. NS (Srinivasan) has no moral authority to continue as the head of ICC,” Bindra added.
The social networking site was abuzz with reactions from former players such as Sanjay Manjrekar and Bishan Bedi.
Manjrekar tweeted: “Whatever needs to be done to get the complete trust of the fans in the game has to be done. Fans make or break this game.”
Bedi wrote: “Justice Lodha committee after Justice Mudgal findings comes as breath of fresh air, but only just! There’s more muck for cricket to breathe afresh!”