BCCI may have suspended Lalit Modi as IPL Commissioner, but the suave former chief of Twenty20 extravaganza can still be seen smiling on the website of Indian Premier League.
Moreover, the official website of IPL still mentions Modi as the chairman and commissioner of IPL Governing Council and lists out his achievements despite having been suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"Lalit Kumar Modi is one of the most accomplished cricket administrators in the world. He is one of the driving forces behind the board's commercial activities and has been instrumental in pushing its revenues over the $4 billion mark," the website reckons.
"But for future generations, his biggest legacy would be the Indian Premier League. He is the man behind the spectacularly successful franchise-based cricket league that has captivated audiences globally," it adds.
On its homepage, the IPL continues to have a 'Modi Tweets' column, which continuously updates all the tweeter messages of the suspended IPL Commissioner. These messages include Modi mentioning that he "had a restful day (after the finals). (He has) been in the spa all day. (He had the) much needed rest."
In other messages Modi thanks his fans and supporters and declares he is "still the chairman of IPL. Just suspended." Modi has not elaborated, but his message, "wait-we have just begun", is being widely interpreted as a threat to expose his detractors. In one of his earlier tweets, Modi had threatened to expose all the people who have tried to bring the game into disrepute.
On Monday, the BCCI President Shashank Manohar charged Modi with serious financial irregularities in the bid documents of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab and rigging the IPL bids of the two new franchises -- Pune and Kochi.
The other charges included irregularities in the broadcast and internet deals and his behavioral patterns for which he has been given 15 days to respond.