Recently, the co-owner of the IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Ness Wadia has convicted in Japan a case of drug possession. However, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has decided to adopt a wait and watch approach on the future course of action for the case. Wadia has received a two-year suspended jail sentence which started creating doubts regarding his role as a team official for the remainder of the season.
Describing the same, a CoA member, Ravi Thodge said, “The matter has already been reported widely in the media, so the BCCI CEO (Rahul Johri) doesn’t have to apprise us about it. I am sure the matter will be discussed and further course of action will be decided when the CoA meets day after.”
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The CoA will now take a call whether Wadia’s blunders fall between Level 1 to 4 of offenses. According to the new IPL Code of Conduct, BCCI CEO has handed over to Ombudsman DK Jain. With the CoA meeting in New Delhi on Friday, it is unclear yet if they will take action against Wadia themselves or direct the matter to Ombudsman.
Citing the manner in which Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was suspended, a senior BCCI functionary said that KXIP could be in deep trouble. He said, “The KXIP are unfortunately looking at suspension as a best-case scenario and termination as a worst case scenario due to the conviction of an owner in a criminal case of drug possession. In this case we have an owner convicted of drug possession by a criminal court. If he was a state cricket official he would have stood disqualified from holding office automatically.”
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Besides Wadia, Bollywood star Preity Zinta, Karan Paul and industrialist Mohit Burman are co-owners and Burman believes Wadia’s conviction will not create any difficulties for the franchise, he said, “The team has a professional CEO, COO, and coaches. One of the directors getting involved in a case doesn’t have any impact on the day-to-day functioning of the team. The team will focus on winning the rest of their games and give themselves the best chance of reaching the Playoffs.”
Although the BCCI has taken notice of Wadia’s conviction, KXIP owners haven’t received any instructions yet to bar Wadia from the dug-out.
