Spin wizard's latest foe Sanjay Dixit has more to say in IPL IV's biggest fight
Spin wizard's latest foe Sanjay Dixit has more to say in IPL IV's biggest fight
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Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) secretary Sanjay Dixit who accused Shane Warne of publicly insulting him, revealed that Warne and former Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi arm-twisted RCA's curator during the first season of the T20 league that was eventually won by the Rajasthan Royals.
Yesterday, Warne escaped a match ban, but was slapped with a hefty fine of USD 50,000.
"During the first season, Modi gave Warne whatever surface he wanted. There was a time when they had three prepared pitches that they could use according to the opposition and other factors. Even in away games, Warne interrupted and Modi gave him whatever pitches he wanted. Warne was chief curator, plus captain, coach, and Modi, the facilitator. I had seen closely how they operated together," Dixit revealed to MiD DAY.
"If you look back, Royals never lost at home in the first season. In the second season, it was a different story because the IPL was in South Africa. Last year, I didn't allow such activity, and thus, Royals didn't perform so well at home. We want to provide an even playing field for all teams that visit Jaipur," added Dixit.
Dixit lambasted Modi and Warne for blaming the pitch used for the game against Chennai on May 9. "The BCCI Pitches Committee visited Jaipur even before the game against Pune (on May 1). On May 2, Warne was aware of the pitch being changed.
"We wanted to see if the side pitch was accessible for television. Everything was in order, and the pitch was ready for the game against Chennai.
"There was unnecessary fit created by both Warne and Modi (through his tweet). Leading into the game, he was a little unhappy, but after the game he overreacted. Modi's tweet was misleading because the pitch was finalised by pitch committee. They specifically wanted the curator to use a better batting strip. We stuck by BCCI guidelines," said Dixit.
A Rajasthan Royals spokesperson said: "We have nothing to say on this issue" while Modi did not respond to phone calls and an e-mail.
"Narendra Joshi has already written to Sundar Raman (IPL CEO) about Warne calling me a whole lot of things.
That e-mail is available to the panel too. It's out in the open," said Dixit. It was earlier reported that Joshi wrote to Raman, alleging that Warne had called Dixit "a liar and egoistic," in an e-mail to the RCA secretary.
He reminded Warne and Co that only home associations have a say on pitches. "Does Rajasthan's contract give them a say over pitches? It was not in the spirit of the game for Warne to behave like this. He's getting frustrated and wants to take it out on others. He wanted to win this IPL, but unfortunately, it's not working out," said Dixit.
Dixit and Warne have been waging a war of words on Twitter. Warne had alleged that he has witnesses who could back Dixit's predictions for matches. Dixit had retorted asking Warne to back his claims with evidence.
So, has the judgment pleased Dixit? "I was never hoping for any particular verdict. I believe in the karmic cycle. The hearing was conducted in a fair atmosphere," he concluded.
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