New Delhi, June 1: Stung by the controversies and scandals this season, the IPL authorities will put in place strict guidelines for franchise owners to ensure that the glamorous event’s brand image is not dented in future.
 Although this year’s IPL drew massive crowds, it was rocked by a spate of controversies involving franchise owners as well as players and the furores ranged from molestation charges against a player to a scuffle between a team owners and stadium authorities in Mumbai.
 The league’s boss Rajiv Shukla conceded that there were fears of brand IPL taking a hit due to the negative press but things seem to have settled down and he would ensure that there is no repeat by having a word with franchise owners.
 “We are not going to protect any player. We will definitely take action against anyone found guilty and we will tell franchises also to be very careful about these things and that they should also keep a strict eye on the activities of the respective players and support staff of their side,” Shukla said.
 “In IPL 5, the main focus was on the cricket. We were more concerned about the organisation of the game. When I took over as chairman my aim was to maintain the sanctity of the game. The focus was on the game,” he asserted.
 “I think the season was a major success because the game was successful. Whatever controversies erupted were not related to us. We haven’t got any police agency to look into the cases.”
 Shukla said the IPL authorities are firm in dealing with any erring player and this has been conveyed to the franchises as well.
 “Whenever anything is reported back to us by the police and we find that the players are guilty, we definitely take action,” he said.
 “It would be like taking out the Sports Authority of India (SAI) from the Sports Ministry. I don’t think it can be done. Maken is most welcome to say anything against it. It’s his magnanimity that he is criticising the IPL but we would not utter a word against him,” Shukla said.
 Shukla also insisted that there was no need for the BCCI to come under the RTI, another suggestion that Maken offered after the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
 “BCCI gives all its accounts at the Annual General Meeting to the media. It responds to all questions in the Parliament. As far as bringing it under the ambit of the RTI, you have to first change the law of RTI.
 “According to its law, if any organisation does not take grant from the government, it cannot be brought under the ambit of the RTI. If you bring the private companies into RTI, we won’t mind coming under RTI,” he said.
 Shukla said IPL’s uncapped players, perhaps the most susceptible to the lure of spot-fixing, will feature in the players’ auction from now.
 “We are of the view within the BCCI that the domestic players should be put under the hammer. They should be brought for auction. The final decision has to be taken in the governing council meeting.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
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