IPL spot-fixing probe: Three possible outcomes and their effects on Meiyappan and CSK
The probe panel constituted by BCCI consists of BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale and retired High Court judges Justice T Jayaram Chouta, former judge of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu High Courts, and Justice R Balasubramanian, former judge of Tamil Nadu High Court.
There can be several outcomes of the Indian Premier League fixing probe, constituted by BCCI to look into spot-fixing and betting allegations. NDTV lists out the three main possibilities from the results of the investigations. (Also read: In BCCI's three-member probe panel, flip-flop and signs of pressure)
Firstly, if Gurunath Meiyappan - son-in-law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan and former team principal of Chennai Super Kings - is found guilty of fixing, the two-time IPL winning franchise may be suspended. While Meiyappan himself has already been suspended by the BCCI (Read here), pending the inquiry, and remains in police custody, CSK may also be suspended as per clause 12.3 of the IPL contracts for team. The clause provides for termination if a franchisee, any franchisee group company and/or any owner acts in any way which adversely affects the reputation or standing of the league, the BCCI-IPL or the game of cricket.
Secondly, if it emerges that Meiyappan was neck-deep in betting and the franchise knew about it, then the possibility of a suspension continues to linger or/and with a heavy fine.
Finally, if the 37-year-old Meiyappan is found guilty of betting but the franchise was not aware of it and gave him a prominent managerial role, CSK stands to be fined heavily - an amount which may well run into several crores - and may well be docked points in the next edition of IPL - the seventh. Charges against Meiyappan though have not yet been proven and legal proceedings continue.
While CSK has won the tournament twice and even reached the final this year where it lost to Mumbai Indians, it has also been under pressure with coach Stephen Fleming going to the extent of saying that off-field events contributed to the team's defeat this season. (Read here)
As for Meiyappan, he will face a life ban in all three possible scenarios listed above. It however is not likely to have an impact on his father-in-law and BCCI president Srinivasan, apart from the embarrassment. On Wednesday, Srinivasan reiterated that he will stay away from the three-member independent commission set-up to investigate Meiyappan, India cements - owners of CSK - and owners of the Rajasthan Royals' franchise.