Indirectly, the stakes could turn out to be very high even for the UPA government, which would like the controversy to die down as soon as possible. Too many big and powerful names are linked with the commerce of IPL. The government and the BCCI can hardly afford to play dirty with these names without getting their own image sullied in public. Investigations into the allegations of financial irregularities, tax evasion, payment of kickback, nepotism and illegal money transfers by individuals and body corporates are bound to slow down or follow a routine line before they are wound up with weak or unsubstantiated charges. Big fishes play in deep water. It is not easy to catch them with ordinary tools. A subtle campaign is building up to let Modi go unscathed. Will he be allowed to make a come-back in due course? No one, not even BCCI chief Shashank Manohar has a straight answer to that.

Despite its ugly pomp and show, which has little to do with the gentleman's game, and huge wastage of foreign exchange, the BCCI and other interested parties are unanimous on one point that Modi or no Modi the IPL show must go on. Information already in public domain reveals that the latest round of 57 IPL matches, having 171 hours of cricket, was celebrated with some 55 cocktail-dinner parties, most lasting till 4 a.m. in the morning. Off-field statisticians with eyes on hotel log books reported 270 hours of partying consuming nearly 1,50,000 bottles of beer. The parties were attended by politicians, bureaucrats, film stars, models, top cricketers, past and present, and media persons among others. Buffet dinners had 432 dishes on display. There were 54 fashion shows. Nearly 1,000 security personnel were deployed for the protection of VIP visitors. There cannot be any bigger lie than the claim that IPL is designed to promote the shorter version of cricket. Whatever be the case, IPL is here and it will continue with all its ugly unnatural pomp and show until this caricature of cricket is rejected by the public. Until then, Modi's skeletons in IPL cupboards are likely to stay strong, treacherous, arrogant, vindictive and undisturbed. Few will disagree that behind the thundering success of IPL is the Modi model, crafted with great care to the last detail with the help of some of the shrewdest operators in the entertainment business. Modi's ghost can't be wished away if IPL has to make a commercial sense.

The IPL in its current format has become extremely popular and exciting for cricket lovers and fun seekers. However, the event as a money spinner has become more attractive to deep-pocket advertisers, advertising agencies, event managers, PR agencies, fashion and hospitality industry, sponsors, financiers, team owners, etc. It is easily the subcontinent's most expensive annual entertainment event. The preparation is already on for 'IPL - 4' in 2011. Team owners, who include some of the super heavyweight corporate chieftains and glamour world personalities having strong political links, are confident that the current highly-publicized income tax and enforcement directorate raids of the premises of their companies and associates will produce little to establish the charges of money laundering, murky money deals, deliberate tax evasion, gambling and match-fixing, illegal gift and graft by way of 'sweat equity' and 'commission'. The off-field Big Boys of the game are believed to have advised the government to go slow on the official investigation into the alleged IPL money laundering and slush money deals, which, if at all substantiated, will damage the country's global image beyond repair. They are also against the authorities being too harsh on maverick and unpredictable Modi, the IPL mastermind.

Although Modi cannot escape some punishment because of his pivotal role in stirring up the whole IPL controversy through twitter, which cost Shashi Tharoor, a career diplomat turned first time Congress MP from Kerala, his ministerial job in the UPA government, he will not be totally condemned out of the tournament because of the support he has among some of the most powerful businessmen and politicians. The alleged wheeler-dealer from one of Delhi's top business families, if forced to open his mouth with supporting documents, could prove to be a big threat to the survival of the UPA government apart from causing big embarrassment to some of those top businessmen and their associates linked with IPL. On the contrary, Modi has nothing much to lose, except his newly acquired image as a super-manager of a super-event. Few were familiar with his name before he got into cricket politics with the blessings of a former BJP chief minister of Rajasthan. Modi has since been very close to the Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar and union civil aviation minister Praful Patel. Their kins are said to be among IPL's beneficiaries, directly or indirectly. Two of the IPL franchisees are deeply connected with the civil aviation industry - one as the second largest domestic airline owner and the other as the largest airports operator. It is only natural if they enjoy special relationship with their departmental minister in the government.

The multi-billion dollar entertainment business event, built within a short period of barely 40 months, is supported by some of the top national and international business groups, which pumped in huge funds into the business through channels at tax havens such as Mauritius, British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts, Isle of Mann and Cayman Islands. Some of them have fielded their front persons to represent them and raised funds from unspecified sources abroad. Unless the I-T and ED sleuths, investigating into the sources of external funds brought in by IPL franchisees and associates, are able to unfold that foreign money coming into IPL is linked with illegal money transfer from India into those overseas shell companies, the money laundering allegation will never be proved. Money laundering is a two-way traffic whereby black money is laundered as white money. India's Havala operators are extremely efficient in handling and transferring black money. Some of them have been into this highly lucrative illegal money transfer business for half a century or more. Thanks to these folks, Indian rupee (INR) has become a global currency without RBI's approval. Money changers in several parts of the world, including Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Sidney, Tokyo, Dubai, Amsterdam, Madrid, Copenhagen, Paris, London, Chicago and New York, are seen openly displaying INR exchange rate vis-à-vis local currency. The nearly fool-proof havala system has helped many local Indians in the 1980s become overnight global Indians in the 1990s and in the 21st century declaring themselves as NRI businessmen, investing back in India millions and millions of dollars in hosts of businesses from construction, civil aviation, hospitality, private equity funds, education, healthcare, entertainment, retailing to what-have-you.

While many think that the current IT and ED raids on IPL associates and franchisees are nothing but a belated political hogwash, key stakeholders have already gotten into a huge image makeover act for IPL 'in the interest of cricket', organizing media interviews with big-image persons such as Sachin Tendulkar and 'Tiger' Pataudi. Sunanda, Tharoor's lady-friend, has already 'cleared' her name from the IPL controversy through an exhaustive media interview. Both Pawar and Patel have hit back critics' bouncers with well-practiced pull-shots clearing the fence of controversy for over-boundaries. Even a joint parliamentary committee investigation into IPL affairs, which is most unlikely to be allowed by the UPA government, may reveal nothing except for the evidence of some embarrassing political patronage to the Lalit Modi brainchild by some leading politicians from both the ruling alliance and the opposition, including BJP, NCP, SP and, of course, Congress. IPL meant good times to many. And, good times unite. If Modi was not moon-struck with sudden flush of money and his growing social and political clout, the IPL-gate would have most certainly remained out-of-bound for the public. (IPA Service)