Mumbai Indians questions IPL auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) plunged into fresh controversy with Mumbai Indians raising questions on the last minute changes made for the Jan 8-9 players’ auction that was held in Bangalore.

In a strongly-worded letter executive director of Reliance Industries Nikhil Meswani has asked the organisers to explain why the rules were amended at the last minute and also minutes of the IPL where the rules were approved.

“This amendment resulted in a fundamental change to the Auction process and ‘selection of sets at random’ was substituted by a pre-decided ‘order of the Auction list’ for the 2011 Auction,” Meswani states in the letter.

The letter further adds: “The primary purpose of deciding the order of auction (whether of subsequent sets or the Players within the sets) through random draw in the Auction Room in presence of the bidders is to ensure transparency and a level playing field to all the Franchisees so that all the Franchisees are not only privy to the process but also treated in the same manner and no particular team receives preferred treatment.

“Any change in the Auction Rules process or procedure in this manner on the very last minute can have any justification if, and only if, strong justifiable and emergent reasons can be demonstrated to be present. We see a complete absence of such reason or justification.

Kindly let us know as to why and to whose instance ths change was introduced.”

The franchise asked the IPL to provide them with the agenda note and agenda of the meeting of the IPL Governing Council at which the IPL Auction briefing on December 17, 2010 was approved.

Agenda note, if any, containing justification for the change in the presentation of the sets from ‘random selection of sets at the Auction room’ to a pre-determined ‘order of the Auction list’ sets.