Sports Spotlight: Why Does Cricketer Suresh Raina's Name Crop Up In Every Other Controversy?

By Fahad Shah in Mumbai

Time and again, INNLIVE has brought to the notice of its readers the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee's findings on the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.

It's going to be a tough Monday for the senior national selection committee. The five selectors will meet in the Capital to pick the Indian team for the tour of Zimbabwe. Sandeep Patil & Co. were reportedly looking to rest some of the key players for this low-key comprising three ODIs and two Twenty20 games.

But things have dramatically changed over the last 48 hours after former Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi tweeted on Saturday that Chennai Super Kings players Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo were in "close contact" with a real estate tycoon known to be a "big punter and also a bookmaker".

In a letter dated June 20, 2013, Modi informs International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Dave Richardson of the players' proximity to Baba Diwan. "Reliable sources have informed me that he (Diwan of HDIL) has paid in cash and (in) kind to the three (players) to the tune of Rs crore each," Modi writes.

He alleges that Diwan gifted Raina a flat each in Delhi's Vasant Vihar and Noida areas. He adds that Jadeja got a sea-facing apartment in a new building constructed by HDIL and Bravo received payments in cash. The ICC, on its part, has confirmed it is in receipt of Modi's letter. dna is also in possession of the letter.

Not new to controversies
Time and again, dna has brought to the notice of its readers the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee's findings on the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal. The panel submitted a list of 13 players and officials to the Supreme Court last year. dna had reported that Raina was 'Individual No. 3' in that list.

Not just this, the Supreme Court appointed another committee, headed by Justice RM Lodha, to decide on the quantum of punishment for the owners of CSK and Rajasthan Royals.

In 2010, a report in a London paper claimed that the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) was probing why the BCCI kept quiet when it heard about a report by Sri Lanka Cricket of Raina being seen in company of a woman linked to an associate of a bookie.

In 2010, the BCCI dismissed a report which said that Raina was seen with a woman allegedly linked to bookies during the tour of Sri Lanka that year. Back then, Raina had said, "There are so many people who get (photographs) clicked with me." Smart answer, but nobody in the BCCI is ready to answer one simple question: why does Raina's name figure in every controversy?

Why is the BCCI silent?
Even after the change of regime in the BCCI, things seem to be pretty much static. President Jagmohan Dalmiya is busy fighting old-age ailments and secretary Anurag Thakur seems more interested in garnering more votes for the next elections. Thakur is a sitting MP of the BJP.

All eyes are now on the Justice Lodha Committee. Till then, it's over to you Patil & Co.