Multi-billion Dollar Television and Internet :Google and Sony caught in cricket probe

The multi-billion dollar television and internet broadcasting rights held by Sony and Google for the Indian Premier League, the world's most lucrative cricket tournament, are expected to be investigated as part of a sweeping corruption probe into the competition.

Shashank Manohar, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, announced the investigation yesterday following the suspension of Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, in a scandal that threatens the credibility of the tournament.

"The alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr Lalit K. Modi, chairman IPL and vice-president BCCI, have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself," Mr Manohar said.

Indian government will face a no-confidence vote as cricket corruption crisis deepens

League founder faces 22 charges in scandal

The Indian government will face a no-confidence vote today amid the deepening crisis over its ministers' alleged involvement in a cricket corruption scandal.

The Congress Party of Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, faces a parliamentary motion over a series of controversies, including allegations the government tapped senior politicians' telephones.
The crisis deepened Monday when Lalit Modi, the founder of the Indian Premier League (IPL), was suspended and charged with 22 counts of corruption. They included allegations that he accepted kickbacks, manipulated auctions for new teams and took share-holdings using family members as proxies.
Modi, recently lauded for turning the IPL into a £3.8-billion business, was accused of receiving a substantial share of a $80-million "facilitation fee" paid for television rights.