Professor Ratnakar Shetty seeks answers from MCA in T20 league issue

Prof Ratnakar Shetty

Former BCCI General Manager [Game's Development] and administrator of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Professor Ratnakar Shetty has shot off an email to MCA president Dr Vijay Patil and other office-bearers on Friday asking several questions following mid-day's February 12 and 14 reports pertaining to the T20 Mumbai League.

Two (Sobo SuperSonics and Shivaji Park Lions) out of the eight franchises have been terminated by Probability Sports, the organisers of the T20 Mumbai League on Thursday for alleged non-payment of dues and breach of the participation agreement. Shetty in his email on Friday, accessed by mid-day, has questioned the "role and responsibility" of Probability Sports with respect to the T20 Mumbai League. He then asked: "Did MCA have any role in picking the franchise owners or it was done by Probability Sports?".

He also questioned the financial terms agreed between Probability Sports and the MCA before asking, "Who takes the call on including and or removing the franchise owners - Probability Sports or [the] MCA?"

Shetty has also queried the "original" franchise owners when the league was launched in 2018 and details of the two new owners of teams that were added last year. Shetty asked whether the MCA has submitted the accounts of the league's first edition as per the Bombay High Court's direction.

"You will appreciate the fact that barring two members of the Apex Council all others are new and will need to know what they are responsible for hence the answers to these queries are important for them, the members of the MCA and the public at large in accordance with the new constitution adopted by the MCA where transparency and accountability are the key factors," Shetty remarked.

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