By IANS,
New Delhi : Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar Friday said no member of his family was part of any Indian Premier League (IPL) team nor had they had taken part in the bidding process.
“No member of my family is involved in any IPL team or in the bidding process or has taken interest in bidding,” Pawar told reporters here following a media report that he and and his family held 16 percent stake in one of the bidders for the Pune IPL team.
Pawar said Anirudh Deshpande, managing director of City Corporation, a Pune-based company, had made the bid for the Pune team in his individual capacity.
“The company board had passed a resolution saying that the City Corportaion was not involved in the bid. Deshpande had participated in his individual capacity. The company had no connection with the bid. It is clear from the resolution,” Pawar, a former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said.
“The bid was not successful. The bid for Pune team was won by Sahara. The process was over,” he said.
Answering queries, he said government agencies were inquiring into IPL finances and “anyone who has done wrong will face the consequences”.
“This has nothing to do with cricket or cricketers,” he said.
According to a media report, Pawar and his family owned about 16 percent shares in City Corporation, a Pune based construction company.
Pawar said Deshpande had planned to execute his bid by a different consortium comprising a Mumbai construction company, Maharashtra Cricket Association and others but it was not successful.