London, June 3 : Tim Wright, a former Deccan Chargers chief executive, is suing the Hyderabad-based Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise for alleged breach of contract for 10 million pounds.
Wright, a former IMG vice-president who worked closely with Lalit Modi in setting up the IPL, was employed as chief executive by Deccan Chargers between June 2008 and January 2009.
Wright accuses Deccan Chargers of illegal payments to an unnamed player, breaking the IPL’s salary cap rules, The Daily Telegraph reports.
It also alleges Wright's severance clause of 10 million pounds was not honoured and that his position was undermined when the franchise appointed KPMG to find a buyer for the Deccan Chargers while telling their chief executive it was not for sale.
The Deccan Chargers are owned by the publishers of the Deccan Chronicle newspaper in Hyderabad and were captained by Adam Gilchrist.
Daily Telegraph quotes the court document: "The first defendant (owner of the Deccan Chargers) offered a player a role within the team without consulting the claimant and a pay increase in the player’s IPL contract, contrary to rules of the IPL."
Wright left his position on the day of the second IPL auction last year. It was claimed at the time by the Deccan Chargers that he was avoiding India after violating the Foreigners Registration Act and would be arrested for breaking visa rules.
In the writ it is claimed that Wright had a string of disagreements with the Deccan owners over a variety of deals, including entertainment rights, a tour to Dubai and the hosting of the Badminton World Championships in Hyderabad.
It also states he was given permission to work in London until the beginning of March but was told he had to report to India in January of that year but would be arrested at the airport. Wright denies the allegations.
The Deccan Chargers owners are fighting the claim and a date is expected to be set Friday to decide whether the case will be heard in London or India.
During Wright’s time at Deccan Chargers, the franchise replaced V. V. S. Laxman as captain and sacked coach Robin Singh after they finished at the bottom of the first edition of the IPL.
© IANS
