IPL Chief Operating Officer Sundar Raman resigns

Mumbai, Nov 3 - The BCCI on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Indian Premier League (IPL) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sundar Raman, under investigation for alleged wrongdoing in the 2013 match fixing and betting scandal.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday accepted Mr. Sundar Raman's resignation from the post of Chief Operating Officer of the Indian Premier League (IPL)," a BCCI statement said.

Raman was one of those named in the Lodha Committee report on the IPL scam, which questioned his role in the scandal. He was at the helm of IPL affairs when the scandal broke. He took his position in the league's inaugural season in 2008.

Raman is believed to have met BCCI chief Shashank Manohar in Nagpur on Monday and submitted his resignation, which was accepted. The development comes after Manohar had earlier criticised the board's decision to retain Raman as the COO despite his being under the scanner.

Raman will formally demit office on November 5.

The Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee has earlier suspended franchises Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals from IPL for two years over the spot fixing and betting scandal that rocked the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament in 2013.

The committee also said the fate of Raman was to be ascertained later as the investigation against him is ongoing.

Raman had told the committee that Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of then Board chief N. Srinivasan was not a CSK official. But his contention was rejected in the report filed by the committee.

Apart from Meiyappan, the committee also recommended the suspension of Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, both of whom were found guilty of betting, for life from any cricketing activity undertaken by BCCI. The guilty duo were also suspended from any cricket related activity for a maximum period of five years.

Raman is now scheduled to meet the Lodha committee on November 15.

The BCCI's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on November 9 in Mumbai.

Cricket Association of Bihar secretary general Aditya Verma welcomed Raman's resignation and also requested Manohar to remove the International Cricket Council's (ICC) chairman N. Srinivasan as BCCI's representative to the global body.

(IANS)

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