07 May,2014 11:32 AM IST | | Bipin Dani
Lalit Modi, the new president of the RCA, (though suspended by the BCCI) is planning to start a Rajasthan Premier League, according to Sumendra Tiwary, the new Honorary Secretary of the association.
Former IPL chief Lalit Modi has been staying in London since 2010 citing threats to his life
Lalit Modi, the new president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) (though suspended by the BCCI) is planning to start a Rajasthan Premier League, according to Sumendra Tiwary, the new Honorary Secretary of the association.
Also read: Lalit Modi elected President, BCCI suspends Rajasthan Cricket Association
Former IPL chief Lalit Modi has been staying in London since 2010 citing threats to his life
Speaking from Jaipur, Tiwary said yesterday: "Lalit Modi announced this in the first committee meeting today. He chaired the executive committee meeting which lasted for about two hours over video conference from London."
"We are challenging the BCCI's decision in Jaipur High Court. They can't suspend our association, the results of which have been declared by the court. Our lawyer (Sudeep Hora) will prepare the documents soon and submit them before the High Court here," he added.
Elaborating on Modi's plan for the RCA, Tiwary said, "We are planning to start eight big academies in the state with world-class facilities. Our first academy in Jaipur was highly appreciated by former Australian batsman Greg Chappell.
"Modi has a plan to build stadiums in Jaipur and Udaipur. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium (SMS) in Jaipur is owned by the state government. We want to have our own stadium," he stressed.
Modi, it is believed, will reveal more plans after the results of the general elections are announced. "He plans to come to India, but until then, he will run the association from London," said Tiwary.
Players won't suffer
The BCCI menawhile has insisted that Rajasthan's players won't suffer. "BCCI is pro-player.
Our endeavour will be to look after the cricketers from Rajasthan," said BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel. Modi's re-election is being seen as a massive blow to current BCCI President N Srinivasan, who has been forced to step aside due to the ongoing Supreme Court-monitored probe into the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.
Point proven
Modi on the other hand told espncrininfo.com: "When the BCCI banned me, I had to prove a point. I wanted to show to everybody that banning me does not mean that I am going to stay away.
It actually gave me greater resolve to fight them." For the first time, Modi also admitted he is actively supporting the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) who have taken the BCCI and Srinivasan to the Supreme Court.
