Mumbai: The controversy surrounding the ownership of the Kochi franchisee may just bring all the skeletons out of the closet, with the Income Tax officials raiding the IPL headquarters and the office of IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, on Thursday and quizzing Modi on the bidding process and ownership details of all IPL teams.

Modi was first quizzed for over an hour at Nirlon House in Worli area where his offices are located. A second team of I-T officials questioned him thereafter. Official sources said the I-T team’s visit was part of a “source probe” that has been initiated by the Revenue Department to look into the financing aspects of the multi-crore IPL in the wake of the controversy over the funding of IPL Kochi, the new franchisee.

The tax department will further probe the source of funding for the Twenty20 league and any increase in the income of the franchise owners. They will look at the bidding process of the IPL, too. The officials will examine various contracts by the IPL and its demand of Rs 120 crores advanced tax. I-T had earlier issued four notices to IPL, asking it to make the payment.

However, Modi insisted that it was just an inquiry and not a raid. “There is an inquiry. It is not a raid. The I-T officials are possibly looking for the details of the tender (for Kochi team). We will extend all possible cooperation to them,” said Modi.

Meanwhile, Lalit Modi’s honeymoon period as the unquestionable boss of the IPL may come to an end, with the BCCI likely to appoint its President Shashank Manohar as the co-chairman of the IPL. According to reports, there is a strong view inside the board that Modi has brought disrepute to the BCCI and Indian cricket and needs to be chastised in some way.

Union Minister and ICC Vice-President Sharad Pawar, meanwhile, gave a clean chit to Modi, saying, “Lalit Modi is accountable to BCCI. Narendra Modi told Kochi IPL team to play in Kochi and not look to make Ahmedabad as the venue till Kochi is ready. I do not know about Tharoor’s link with Sunanda Pushkar and I do not want to comment on that. I only know that Tharror was keen on IPL in Kerala.”

“The IPL Commissioner has all the rights to ask for information from franchisees. I see nothing wrong in making information public on IPL franchisees,” Pawar added.

However, BCCI Vice-President Rajiv Shukla questioned the BCCI chief being the co-chairperson of the IPL when IPL is under BCCI. “How can BCCI chairman become co-chairman of the IPL when IPL is under BCCI? BCCI will cooperate with the IT department, all decisions will be taken when the governing body meets,” Shukla said.

In another related development, Sunanda Pushkar’s lawyer said that she will continue to hold the stakes in the Kochi IPL team. “She has put together her business acumen, she has put together her equities, she has put together her experience and she has put together this consortium for which she has earned below five per cent of stakes in this consortium,” the lawyer said.

“What I am made to understand that they had contacted her, because a lot of work needed to go in, the consortium had to be put together… she is very good at brand building, she has experience in sales and marketing,” he added. “They have to do a lot of work for the brand building and she is experienced in brand building. She has earned sweat equities, it has nothing to do with Mr. Tharoor. She has earned it on merit. She will put together her heart and soul, she loves the game of cricket and she feels she can add value to it. She can build the brand, so why would she not continue.”

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