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One of the biggest disciplinary actions in the sport's recent history was occured in the Indian Premier League's (IPL) 2013 that was huge credibility problem. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), two of its most well-known teams, were placed on a two-year suspension. However, why were CSK and RR banned for two years? The decision was made in response to serious allegations of corruption, particularly involving team executives' member.
The scandal broke out, when Delhi Police detained Rajasthan Royals players, including S. Sreesanth, for spot-fixing in May 2013. Due to the arrests' widespread publicity and the investigation sparked, the Supreme Court of India established a special committee for the case.
Under the direction of former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, this three-member committee was charged to examin the extent of corruption in the IPL. The committee found Gurunath Meiyappan, a top official associated with CSK and son-in-law of the ICC President N. Srinivasan, guilty of involvement in corrupt activities. In a similar vein, Raj Kundra, RR's co-owner, was also linked to improper behavior that compromised the tournament's integrity.
The Lodha Committee declared in July 2015 that CSK and RR would both be banned from the IPL for two seasons, beginning with the 2016 tournament. The panel's reasoning was predicated on the idea that senior team officials had tarnished the sport.
The committee emphasized that not only a spectator but Gurunath Meiyappan was actively involved in CSK's public representation and decision-making. Therefore, his behavior directly affected the franchise's reputation and moral standing. In the same way, Raj Kundra's position as team owner and his closeness to Rajasthan Royals decision-making circles meant that the team couldn't be exempt from accountability.
As a result, both Meiyappan and Kundra were handed lifetime bans from participating in any form of cricket-related activities. The committee made it clear that even while not every claim of match-fixing could be confirmed beyond a reasonable doubt, the affiliation of such well-known individuals with unethical behavior called for severe penalties.
The suspension shook the IPL's foundation. Popular CSK and RR players were added back to the auction pool, and discussions about letting new teams take the place of the suspended teams started. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) acknowledged the ruling and expressed commitment to ensuring transparency and restoring public trust.
While CSK returned to the league in 2018 with renewed success, the incident remains a cautionary tale in the history of professional sports governance in India.
