IPL in Controversy after Tharoor's Visit

Income tax officials digging into IPL papers have failed to locate two vital documents — the bid papers of the Videocon and Adani Groups, whose failure to win teams for Pune and Ahmedabad is said to be at the root of the Lalit Modi-Shashi Tharoor battle.

Sources in the government said I-T sleuths had searched high and low for the files related to these two failed bids but have found nothing. The Adani Group, a $5-billion Gujarat-based conglomerate, is headed by Gautam Adani, while Videocon, a $4-billion diversified group, is led by Venugopal Dhoot.


Sleuths said the absence of the documents could leave a crucial hole in the probe which, among other things, is seeking to establish the fairness of the bidding process. The missing files could settle one way or the other the widespread perception that the first round of bidding —- on March 7 in Mumbai —- for the two new IPL teams was tweaked to favour Dhoot and Adani.

Stiff conditions were placed in that round — such as bank guarantees worth $100 million and a net worth of $1 billion — and are cited to insinuate a conspiracy in favour of these two big players and disqualify smaller bidders.

BCCI chief Shashank Manohar remarked on the skew in the auction norms as he asked for a fresh round of bidding. The second round on March 21, minus these two conditionalities, went all wrong for the Dhoots and Adanis.