Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur has slammed former Board president N. Srinivasan for a letter from ICC that links him with a bookie. Speaking to NDTV on Monday, Thakur said Srinivasan's letter was "unfortunate." Srinivasan is the chairman of the world body.
In a letter written to BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya by ICC chief executive Dave Richardson, it has been alleged that Thakur was seen with Karan Gilhotra, who was on the ICC's anti-corruption list. The letter was dated April 22, 2015 and also copied to ICC chairman, Srinivasan. Thakur was seen cutting a cake and offering it to Gilhotra in photos clicked by a freelance journalist.
"During the 2014 edition of the IPL, unverified information was received by the ICC ACSU that Mr Gilhotra was seen trying to befriend players and support staff during the tournament and that there were rumours (again unverified) about his involvement in betting on cricket," wrote Richardson in his letter. The former South African wicket-keeper also added Ravi Savani, BCCI's Anti-corruption chief, had advised franchises to stop Gilhotra from being entertained by their squad members.
The Thakur-Srinivasan war is likely to turn bitter with the new BCCI secretary seeking help of former members to probe whether the Tamil Nadu strongman hired a London agency with BCCI money to spy on Board officials. Srinivasan reportedly spent Rs 14 crore on spying activities.
"We're not here for a witch hunt, we are looking at all allegations seriously, and will take necessary action against N. Srinivasan," Thakur told NDTV.
Thakur also said the BCCI is seeking legal opinion to evaluate Chennai Super King's real worth after the team was valued at Rs 5 lakh by Srinivasan. Any under-valuation of a franchise could lead to loss of revenue for the Board when it is sold off to another buyer.
"The CSK valuation issue is very crucial, we are seeking legal opinion in the matter, we won't let a single penny of the Indian board go anywhere else," Thakur said.
(With inputs from Rica Roy)