Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) which has already gained notoriety after multiple players reporting corrupt approaches to Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the BCCI has prompted some of the stakeholders to demand better revenue sharing model as well as upgrade in quality of officials appointed for the tournament.
The BCCI ACU revealed Monday that many players have reported about corrupt approaches and now questions are being raised whether VB Chandrasekhar’s suicide is linked to the alleged corrupt practices in the league.
While TNPL has formed a committee that will probe the issue, some of the owners, who refused to be named have spoken about need for a better commercially viable model.
There is one franchise among the bottom three which has gained bad name for dubious team selections every year.
A team owner on conditions of anonymity told this agency, “TNCA should come up with a better revenue sharing method so that the franchises do not suffer by way of losses. Only those with proper financial background should be allowed to own teams in the league.”
Meanwhile, Balaji Maradappa, who has been part of the TNPL governing council and is now involved with a franchise as manager, said having seen things from both sides he had a feeling that there was no malpractice.
“I have seen things from both sides – as TNPL governing council member and a team official. I can tell you that every step is being taken to keep things clean. I don’t know from where these kinds of allegations have cropped up,” Maradappa asserted.
“At the TNPL governing council, we took all steps to keep things under control and clean and I have seen as a team official that the team(s) are also doing the same. Also, with so much awareness programmes and BCCI integrity officials giving instructions and being around nothing can happen. Also, the kids (players) are aware of things and bring it to our notice if any unwanted messages come in,” Maradappa claimed.
Another team owner demanded stern action if anyone is found guilty. He also said that in its bid to stop murky dealings, the TNCA should hold the league only in bigger towns. The owner also spoke about the quality of the umpiring in TNPL, which he said was below-par and was an issue of concern.
“I have complained several times to the authorities about the umpiring but nothing has changed. In an effort to clean up things, the BCCI should ensure that their top 20-30 umpires are sent to officiate in leagues like TNPL,” said the owner.
PTI
