ACSU chief worried about domestic T20 team owners

The mushrooming of lucrative Twenty20 leagues all over the world has been giving sleepless nights to the ICC Anti Corruption and Security Unit, which is concerned about the ‘lack of transparency’ in the ownership patterns of the franchises across the globe.

ICC ACSU chief Yogendra Pal Singh expressed these apprehensions during a board meeting in January this year. Not only this, Singh was also concerned about Cricket Australia’s bid to have internet access in the dressing room, a move that was supported by BCCI president N Srinivasan.

All these discussions took place during ICC board meeting held in Dubai on 29 January. Singh 

had expressed his concern about the identity of the owners of certain domestic franchises and the manner in which they procured those teams as well as their sustenance capability.

Although no specific franchise name has been mentioned in the minutes, the questions of ownership pattern and the credibility of the owners has cropped up in the cash-rich Indian Premier League as well Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Sri Lankan Premier League. 

Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra and CSK team principal G Meiyappan have been suspended 

by BCCI for placing bets on IPL matches.