IPL team owners on a rough pitch

Lalit Modi-KK Modi Group-Commissioner of IPL- 2008-10

Modi was at the helm of the league which was going from strength to strength in the first three years. As it went into an expansion mode, trying to add teams, trouble erupted. Modi tweeted ownership details of the new Kochi team, and that turned into a political storm. 

Vijay Mallya-UB Group | Team: Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Mallya faces legal proceedings and is a subject of probes by various central agencies for his companies default on loans of Rs 9,000 crore and other irregularities. A consortium of banks has moved court for seizure of his passport. Many of them have named him a wilful defaulter. Mallya left the country on March 2, but has insisted that he is not an absconder.

Preity Zinta- Movie star | Team: Kings XI Punjab, Chandigarh

In March 2013, Zinta appeared before the ED and her statement was recorded for about 10 hours. A penalty notice was issued by ED for alleged forex violations.


Sunanda Pushkar- Socialite | Team: Kochi Tuskers, Kochi

Pushkar's 5% sweat equity in the Kochi team became a huge political controversy after Lalit Modi tweeted about it. She was then just a "close friend" of Shashi Tharoor, then minister of state for external affairs. 

N Srinivasan-India Cements | Team: Chennai Super Kings

Srinivasan's conflict of interest in being chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and owner of CSK was an eyesore since the beginning of the league. In June last year, CSK was suspended for two years by a Supreme Court-appointed panel headed by former chief justice R M Lodha.

Shah Rukh Khan-Movie star | Team: Kolkata Knight Riders

Received summons from the ED last year. Probe is on into investments made through foreign entities into Knight Rider Sports, holding company of KKR, and other offshore dealings. 


Venkattram Reddy-Deccan Chronicle | Team: Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad

Four years ago, in a swift collapse that lasted just weeks, Deccan Chronicle went from a five-decade respected media group in the South to a sinking ship. The team has been scrapped. The media business, thriving before the IPL venture, is staring at a takeover by competition at best or a shutdown at worst.


K P Singh- DLF | Title sponsors 2008-2012

A controversy involving land deals with Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, came at a time when the real estate business was struggling to get out of the rut. In 2014, Sebi banned the company and key executives, including Singh, from accessing the capital market. 

Raj Kundra- Movie star Shilpa Shetty's businessman husband | Team: Rajasthan Royals, Jaipur

Three of its players were accused of spot-fixing and arrested by Delhi Police in 2013. Kundra himself was found guilty of betting and banned from cricket for life. The team was suspended for two years in 2015.


Kalanithi Maran-Sun Group | Team: Sunrisers Hyderabad

Became franchisee of the Hyderabad team after the exit of Deccan. In January, Maran, wife Kaveri and brother Dayanidhi Maran were charged by the ED for alleged money-laundering in the Aircel-Maxis controversy.


Subrata Roy- Sahara India Parivar | Team: Pune Warriors, Pune

Sahara group led by Subrata Roy, also the erstwhile sponsor of the Indian cricket team, was involved in a protracted legal battle with market regulator Sebi. 


G M Rao- GMR group | Team: Delhi Daredevils, Delhi

Search operations were conducted at the company's Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi offices by the investigation wing of the Income Tax Department in 2012.