BCCI mulling to form sub-committee to run IPL

Under-fire from all quarters in the wake of Lalit Modi's alleged financial irregularities in the running of the Indian Premier League, the BCCI is planning to form a small sub-committee to run the Twenty20 league in future, according to sources.

"The idea is to carve out a smaller committee out of the present IPL Governing Council and include three or four persons to run the show instead of making it a one-man show like it was till present," the sources said.

The names mentioned in the BCCI corridors are those of Arun Jaitley, Niranjan Shah, Ravi Shastri and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. All of them are members of IPL Governing Council headed by Modi whose days seem to be numbered.

There are clear indications that Modi may step down after the IPL final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

A meeting of the IPL Governing Council has been convened on April 26 and Modi, who has tried unsuccessfully to postpone it by a few days, is expected to put in his papers by then, the sources indicated.

Meanwhile, there is speculation that Shastri could be the head of the new sub committee to run the IPL but for it to happen the former India captain would have to step down from the chairmanship of National Cricket Academy, the sources said.

BCCI top brass hold meetings

Meanwhile, the BCCI top brass on Saturday held a series of meetings to draw up a strategy for Monday's crucial Governing Council meeting amid intense speculation that beleaguered IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is being persuaded to step down voluntarily from the high-flying post.

BCCI president Shashank Manohar was closeted with secretary N Srinivasan, IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah and Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty to discuss the raging IPL controversy.

Union Minister and BCCI heavyweight Sharad Pawar, is expected to meet the BCCI top brass during the day.

There was no official word as to what was being discussed at the meeting but a BCCI source indicated that it was just a "routine discussion" ahead of the Governing Council meeting.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of forming a three-member core committee to oversee the running of the league in its subsequent editions.

The BCCI has already made it clear that it would not consider Modi's plea to postpone the meeting by five days.

Finance and Media committee chairman Rajiv Shukla, who is also a member of the Governing Council, is expected to reach later in the afternoon and join in the deliberations.

With very little support within the Governing Council, Modi's future appears to be grim and there was a distinct possibility that he could be removed from his post as IPL Chairman and Commissioner.