The income tax department on Wednesday morning raided the offices of World Sports Group and Multi Screen Media which handle the broadcast rights of the Indian Premier League.
Tax sleuths had visited the BCCI office last week on Wednesday. The department had used special technology that allows direct data transfer from any electronic storage device including computers, mobile phones and pen drives to access the data.
Various agencies, including income tax, enforcement directorate and directorate general of service tax are closely coordinating in the investigation into the IPL tax and money trail.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case against IPL teams under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and will now conduct an open inquiry into transfer of foreign funds, according to Times Now.
The case was registered under Section 3 of FEMA, which prohibits dealing in foreign exchange without permission from the RBI.
So far the ED was conducting a discreet inquiry, which doesn't require the registering of a case. The decision to register a case was taken after it found strong indications of funds having come from tax havens like Mauritius and Cayman Islands.
Meanwhile, eight investigation wings of the Income Tax department have spread across the country to probe the source of IPL funds. They are expected to collect, source and obtain financial details from various stakeholders in the IPL from across the country.
I-T directorates in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Delhi, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune will be trying to source out information.
Mumbai take on Bangalore in 1st IPL semifinal
Having made to the last four stage for the first time in three attempts, Mumbai Indians (MI) will be banking on skipper Sachin Tendulkar's sensational form and home advantage against last year's finalist Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the first IPL semifinal on Wednesday
The Mumbai team not only has an extra advantage in home support but also a leader in Tendulkar, who has been in prime form in the tournament leads the run-getters chart.
Tendulkar, by and large, has been the fulcrum around which the Mumbai batting has revolved. With 561 runs with five half centuries and a strike rate in excess of 136, the master batsman has led the team from the front.
Mumbai would again be depending on the start provided by orange cap-holder Tendulkar. They rested some key players, including their captain, for the inconsequential last league fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday night and promptly slid to a huge defeat.
Tendulkar, however, has lacked a good opening partner with veteran Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya lacking confidence and Shikhar Dhawan being inconsistent.
Ryan McLaren was tried out against Bangalore and the experiment clicked with the all-rounder making 40 and Mumbai would be tempted to try it out again.
Mumbai youngsters have, by and large, provided good support with the duo of Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu accumulating over 360 runs so far in the tournament
South African JP Duminy -- after being drafted into the side in the last few matches -- and Kieron Pollard has been a key figure in the Mumbai middle order and to add to it feisty Harbhajan Singh has proved more than handy with the long handle.
If batting has been their cornerstone, the all-round effort in the bowling and fielding department has been the highlight of their successful IPL 3 campaign.
Harbhajan (15 wickets), Zaheer Khan (14) and death-bowling specialist Lasith Malinga (13) have done superbly both in terms of penetration as well as in economy while Pollard (11) too has chipped in nicely.
The fielding too has been brilliant, thanks mainly to the efforts put in by South Africa great Jonty Rhodes, who is the fielding coach of the outfit.
Bangalore, on the other hand, has slight edge in terms of experience with their array of battle-hardened international veterans in captain Anil Kumble, tournament's second-most run-getter Jacques Kallis and veteran Rahul Dravid.
With the likes of Manish Pandey, Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Ross Taylor and Kevin Pietersen up its rank, Bangalore boats of a formidable batting line-up.
Apart from Kallis, who has aggregated 542 runs with six fifties at a strike rate of close to 120, it has been Uthappa's pyrotechnics that come to the side's rescue on more than one occasion.
Bangalore's bowling department, meanwhile, rests mainly on the shoulders on Kumble (12 wickets), pace spearhead Dale Steyn (12) and Kallis (11) with Praveen Kumar (8) contributing at crucial times even though he has been expensive.
The match also provides Kumble and his men a revenge opportunity as Bangalore, playing at home ground, lost by 57 runs to Mumbai in their last encounter three days ago.
But Kumble would be drawing heart from the fact that their previous visit to Mumbai, when they played at the Brabourne Stadium, was a successful one as the bowling clicked superbly to restrict the home team to 151 and overhauled the target with five wickets in hand.
The winners of the contest would meet the victorious side of the second semifinal, to be held on April 22, between holders Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings at the same Navi Mumbai venue in the summit clash on April 25.
The Mumbai team not only has an extra advantage in home support but also a leader in Tendulkar, who has been in prime form in the tournament leads the run-getters chart.
Tendulkar, by and large, has been the fulcrum around which the Mumbai batting has revolved. With 561 runs with five half centuries and a strike rate in excess of 136, the master batsman has led the team from the front.
Mumbai would again be depending on the start provided by orange cap-holder Tendulkar. They rested some key players, including their captain, for the inconsequential last league fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday night and promptly slid to a huge defeat.
Tendulkar, however, has lacked a good opening partner with veteran Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya lacking confidence and Shikhar Dhawan being inconsistent.
Ryan McLaren was tried out against Bangalore and the experiment clicked with the all-rounder making 40 and Mumbai would be tempted to try it out again.
Mumbai youngsters have, by and large, provided good support with the duo of Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu accumulating over 360 runs so far in the tournament
South African JP Duminy -- after being drafted into the side in the last few matches -- and Kieron Pollard has been a key figure in the Mumbai middle order and to add to it feisty Harbhajan Singh has proved more than handy with the long handle.
If batting has been their cornerstone, the all-round effort in the bowling and fielding department has been the highlight of their successful IPL 3 campaign.
Harbhajan (15 wickets), Zaheer Khan (14) and death-bowling specialist Lasith Malinga (13) have done superbly both in terms of penetration as well as in economy while Pollard (11) too has chipped in nicely.
The fielding too has been brilliant, thanks mainly to the efforts put in by South Africa great Jonty Rhodes, who is the fielding coach of the outfit.
Bangalore, on the other hand, has slight edge in terms of experience with their array of battle-hardened international veterans in captain Anil Kumble, tournament's second-most run-getter Jacques Kallis and veteran Rahul Dravid.
With the likes of Manish Pandey, Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Ross Taylor and Kevin Pietersen up its rank, Bangalore boats of a formidable batting line-up.
Apart from Kallis, who has aggregated 542 runs with six fifties at a strike rate of close to 120, it has been Uthappa's pyrotechnics that come to the side's rescue on more than one occasion.
Bangalore's bowling department, meanwhile, rests mainly on the shoulders on Kumble (12 wickets), pace spearhead Dale Steyn (12) and Kallis (11) with Praveen Kumar (8) contributing at crucial times even though he has been expensive.
The match also provides Kumble and his men a revenge opportunity as Bangalore, playing at home ground, lost by 57 runs to Mumbai in their last encounter three days ago.
But Kumble would be drawing heart from the fact that their previous visit to Mumbai, when they played at the Brabourne Stadium, was a successful one as the bowling clicked superbly to restrict the home team to 151 and overhauled the target with five wickets in hand.
The winners of the contest would meet the victorious side of the second semifinal, to be held on April 22, between holders Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings at the same Navi Mumbai venue in the summit clash on April 25.
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