We'll deal with Kochi matter after IPL-3: Modi

Mumbai, Apr 14(ANI): Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi on Wednesday said he would explain issues related to Kochi team to the league's governing council after the completion of present leg of the IPL.

Modi said: "Will deal with Kochi once the IPL is over. I will also explain my side to the IPL governing council and we have no hidden agenda, no hidden stakes."

Modi expressed reservations over the ownership of the Kochi team and claimed that the owners of Kochi franchise themselves did not know some of the people involved with it.

"With regards to the eight franchisees, we know about all the stake holders, but there are still some doubts over the ownership of the Kochi franchise. Even the people who signed the tender documents don't know who they are," he said.

Modi's statement days after controversy engulfed over giving 19 percent free stakes to Dubai based businessperson Sunanda Pushkar, who is said to be a close friend of Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.

Modi said he had nothing to hide.

"This is a small issue, but an issue nevertheless," he said.

The controversy surrounded over partnership in Kochi franchise has surrounded as Modi and Tharoor, who are engaged in a spat over the ownership of Rendezvous Sports World.

The Rendezvous Sports World is one of the stake holders in the consortium that bought the Kochi franchise for Rs.1,530 crore.

In a comment on social networking site twitter, Modi claimed that he was asked by Tharoor to not to get into who owns the Rendezvous Sports World.

On Tuesday, Tharoor issued a detailed statement, claiming Modi had acted in "bad faith" in a bid to transfer the IPL franchise from Kerala to some other place (Ahmadabad)

"It has been clear for some time that the real motive is to assign this IPL team elsewhere than Kerala," Tharoor said.

Tharoor had denied having asked Modi not to reveal the identity of the stakeholders.

The cash rich IPL, which has become a one billion dollar revenue entity in the third season this year, had auctioned Kochi and Pune franchise to Rendezvous and Sahara in March for a total of about Rs 3,200 crore. (ANI)