Lalit Modi fires the gun at MS Dhoni, says Chennai Super Kings captain involved in cover-up

Banned former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi has blamed Team India and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for being involved in a cover-up for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N Srinivasan and his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who was indicted Monday by the Supreme Court-instituted Justice Mudgal committee report for direct involvement in an IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal that rocked the sport last year.

Modi told a leading English news channel that Dhoni was trying to shield former CSK team principal Meiyappan and that the franchisee needed to be annulled immediately. According to clause 11.3 of the IPL franchise rules, CSK face immediate termination. "Dhoni is also involved in the cover-up. Nothing moves in IPL and Chennai Super Kings without Srinivasan, and he has his men planted in every franchisee. Srinivasan has gagged every player, every BCCI official," he said. (Probe judge's London visit was secretly surveyed: Modi)

In a separate interview to NDTV on Monday, Modi had said that it was just the tip of the iceberg as far as the IPL spot-fixing matter was concerned and that the BCCI chief had a perfect plan in place while putting all the blame on his son-in-law Meiyappan, adding that there was much more to this story. (This is only the tip of the iceberg, let the IPL probe continue: Modi)

"This is just the tip of the iceberg, let the probe go on and I don't want to pre-empt anything to dilute the investigation. I agree with Justice Mudgal that people should go to jail for fixing, but for that we need stringent laws. The IPL governing council should be disbanded. Let us have an independent organisation that runs the IPL like National Football League (NFL) in the USA," he said. (Highlights)

"For CSK team to underperform, it would have required direct involvement of its boss N Srinivasan as most of the players in CSK are employees of India Cements and under direct influence and control of Srinivasan who can also make or break their career in BCCI itself," Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi told PTI. (Time to bury N Srinivasan's India Cements: Modi)

The former IPL chief had made a series of posts on micro-blogging site Twitter on Monday demanding a life-ban for Srinivasan and told NDTV later that the BCCI chief had a moral responsibility to step down from his position. "It is a moral responsibility for Mr Srinivasan to step down as BCCI chief. Srinivasan is directly involved in match-fixing, I have said it from day one. It is very convenient to put the blame on the son-in-law, the buck stops at Srinivasan," he said.

Modi is eyeing the Rajasthan Cricket Association president's post for a second time. The BCCI is opposing Modi's return and has challenged a controversial Sports Act that allowed Modi to contest the RCA elections in December last year.