Modi set to respond to BCCI charges

Lalit Modi will be submitting his reply to the BCCI's show-cause notice, issued on April 26, tomorrow in Mumbai. On Monday, Modi had asked for a five-day extension to the original 15-day deadline, as he wanted additional documents from the board to prepare his defence. The board obliged on both counts and Modi is likely to appear in person on Saturday afternoon at the BCCI headquarters.

"We will be submitting the reply to the BCCI in the second half tomorrow," Mehmood Abdi, one of the legal counsels for Modi, told Cricinfo. As for whether Modi would be present, Abdi said it was up in the air.

When asked if there is any particular time frame for the board before it makes a final decision, Abdi said he was optimistic about a favourable decision in his client's favour. "Our reply has been clear. The board's president [Shashank Manohar] is an eminent lawyer, so it should not take him a long time, we hope, to make a decision."

And was he confident the board would clear Modi of all allegations? Abdi, most certainly, was. "We hope our reply satisfies the board and that it would revoke the show-cause and also re-instate Mr Lalit Modi to all positions in the BCCI from which he was suspended."

Modi was suspended by the BCCI on April 26, soon after the conclusion of the IPL, which sent him a show-cause notice asking him to reply to a slew of charges relating to the conduct of the high-profile Twenty20 league. Modi was alleged to have indulged in financial deals without the knowledge of the IPL governing council, bid-rigging and to be displaying a behavioural pattern which was not acceptable.

In the last week Modi has been constantly communicating with the board via emails asking for various documents related specifically to the five charges slapped against him. N Srinivasan, the board secretary, replied elaborately to Modi on Tuesday, citing the various reasons and evidence stacked against him [Modi], also speaking of "reliable sources" who had verbally told the board president Shashank Manohar about his misdeeds which they felt had brought disrepute only to the board but also the game of cricket.

Modi attacked the board for utilising "unknown" sources, calling them "fictitious", particularly when the board refused to reveal their names.