There can be no doubt that Lalit Modi (born November 29, 1963), Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL), created the IPL in 2008.
There can be no doubt that Lalit Modi took IPL to its dazzling, dizzy heights.

There can be no doubt that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and many, many people minted money, directly or indirectly, through the IPL.

Lalit Modi has been unceremoniously ousted from the IPL.
In the legalistic jargon, he has been suspended from the post of Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL and from all committees and sub committees of the BCCI.
A show cause notice has been issued to him.
He will have to submit his explanation.
And the BCCI will take a decision in due course.

Is Lalit Modi alone to blame ?

Let us presume for a moment that Lalit Modi is guilty of all the charges,
of numerous irregularities, and a host of deed or misdeeds.

He was heading the IPL as a functionary under the broader control of BCCI.
What were the members of the Governing body of BCCI doing all these
years?
Why did not even one of them enquire about the financial transactions, about the various agreements and payments.
Why did the auditors of BCCI not verify the huge transactions with reference to the different agreements.
Did the auditors ever point out a single irregularity in their audit reports?
Probably every one was content with the free tickets and other freebies.

Lalit Modi, IPL and the future

What is the future of Lalit Modi and IPL?
Personally, I feel Lalit Modi is in a mess.
He has bitten more than he can chew.
He will find it difficult to wriggle out of the strangle hold.
Even he is lucky, he would have to remain out of cricket for several years.

In my view, Lalit Modi had grown larger than the institution he had build.
He equated himself with the IPL.
He thought he was the IPL.
Or he thought he owned the IPL.

IPL is an institution.
All institutions survive their founders.
IPL will survive after Lalit Modi.

Dr. Verghese Kurien

I am reminded of Dr. Verghese Kurien who literally built Amul.
He ushered the milk revolution into India.
He made India from a milk deficient country to one of the largest milk producing countries in the world.

He received due recognition and several honours in India and all over the world including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1963), Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966), Krishi Ratna Award (1986), Wateler Peace Prize Award of Carnegie Foundation (1986), World Food Prize Laureate (1989), International Person of the Year(1993) by the World Dairy Expo, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, and Padma Vibhushan (1999).

Dr. Verghese Kurien resigned from Chairmanship of the Gujarat Milk Marketing federation (GCMMF) on March 20, 2006.  
The real reason is that eleven out of the 12 chairmen of district dairies (who constitute the GCMMF board) had moved a no-confidence motion (slated to come up in a March 24 meeting) against him.
Rather than face the humiliation, Kurien resigned.

Kurien has left Amul.
But Amul survives because it a strong institution.

Lalit Modi and the future

There is no doubt that Lalit Modi has proved himself a marketing wizard.
He will go back and head the Rs 3,500-crore Godfrey Phillips India (GPI), the makers of Marlboro, Four Square and Red & White cigarettes.

And may be he will prove even more successful in his business endeavours.