Modi in hot water

Lalit Modi, the commissioner of the hugely successful and lucrative Twenty20 cricket Indian Premier League, could be ousted within days in a fog of conflicting allegations and denials ranging from match-fixing and illegal betting to money laundering and the improper award of franchises for new teams.

On Monday the Indian government said it had launched a multi-agency investigation into “the functioning of the IPL”. “No wrongdoer will be spared,” Pranab Mukherjee, the finance minister, said.

Modi (46) has always been a controversial figure.

He has made the IPL tournament in his own image—brash, fast, colourful, unafraid to offend and unapologetic. Under his management, the tournament has exploded to become a social, sporting and commercial phenomenon worth an estimated $4,13-billion in just three years, according to brand consultants, and is watched by Bollywood stars, businessmen and rickshaw drivers alike. The IPL’s financial success guarantees that Modi still has the backing of many, particularly the franchise owners, and thus a chance to hold on to his position.

India’s main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has been quick to make political capital out of the affair, dubbing the IPL “the Corruption Premier League”.

But the immense popularity of the tournament and the immense amount of money it generates means all politicians need to tread carefully.—