No more IPL for me: Shukla

Frustrated with the spot-fixing scandal and a series of other controversies that have plagued the Indian Premier League, the event's chairman Rajeev Shukla on Wednesday said he was not keen to take up the position again. Shukla said his tenure was for a one-year period which is renewed every year and he was not willing to take up the high-profile post for a third consecutive term. "IPL Chief is a one-year post which gets renewed every year in the AGM but I don't intend to do the job for a third year," Shukla told PTI in an interview here. "I am not craving for any position in the BCCI, my job was to organise the matches and the matches were well organised. The stadiums were packed irrespective of the controversies," he said.

"I have never hankered for any position. When the IPL Chairman's position was given to me, I took it up as a challenge and I did my job to the best of my ability," he added. Shukla said there has been a lot of discussion among the Board members over N Srinivasan's continuance as BCCI President in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal. "Discussion among BCCI members have already taken place and our immediate concern is to protect the image of BCCI and Indian cricket," he said. Shukla's decision not to take up the position again coiuld put added pressure on a defiant Srinivasan, who has steadfastly refused to quit, maintaining that he has not done anything wrong. Shukla, who became the IPL chairman last year replacing Chirayu Amin, said the event was going on fine till the spot-fixing scandal broke out and the most important thing now is to restore its credibility. "Misdeeds of a few players and certain people cannot and should not bring bad name to hundreds of players who participated in the IPL with full honesty. The reputation of the IPL cannot be tarnished by a few greedy individuals," he said. Asked what steps should be taken to restore the credibility of the tournament, Shukla said, "The anti-corruption wing must work in coordination with the Police agencies."