“Celebs often call for tickets and invites to events – such bonafide interaction can’t be basis of any misdemeanour on my part”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Indian Premier League (IPL) chief operating officer Sundar Raman has filed an affidavit at the Supreme Court after the Mudgal report accused him of contacting a known bookie.

The Mudgal report states that Raman knew “a contact of a bookie and contacted him eight times in one season”. It also says that Raman received information that Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra had been involved in betting, but did nothing about it.

“I hold a PG degree in management and prior to working with the BCCI, I was employed by a multinational media and advertising agency,” Raman said in his statement. “In all, I have 20 years of experience as a professional with high integrity. I was recruited by the BCCI in 2008 and as part of my duties, I had to interact with various officials, VIPs, bureaucrats and celebrities from all walks of life.

“Most of the interactions revolve around arranging and facilitating their attendance at matches and events connected to IPL. The Mudgal committee report doesn’t specifically say that I had knowledge that the person concerned was the contact of a bookie. The person concerned was also a celeb, a movie actor and also a TV star. As IPL COO, I had to deal with celebrities as part of my job. Celebs often call for tickets and invites to events – such bonafide interaction can’t be basis of any misdemeanour on my part.”