BCCI to ask Modi to quit on April 26

New Delhi: IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is certain to lose his job. Sources tell CNN-IBN the Indian cricket board will ask him to resign from his post on April 26.

The top officials of BCCI are to meet in Mumbai on April 23. IPL franchise owners have been asked to attend the meeting from which Modi will be excluded. Sources say if Modi doesn't step down, then BCCI will convene special annual general meeting to oust him.

Sources say BCCI President Shashank Manohar and secretary N Srinivasan are planning to move a resolution against Modi at the board’s working committee meeting on May 2. The resolution could either reduce Modi's powers in the IPL, or remove him from it altogether.

The meeting will discuss allegations against Modi and all other issues related to the Kochi IPL franchise bid. The BCCI working committee meeting would be preceded by a meeting of the IPL's governing council on April 25.

"All the allegations (against Modi) and other issues would be discussed in the governing council. The date would be announced soon," said Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI's media and finance committee chairman, in Delhi.

But Modi has a tougher opponent in the government. Government sources say the Revenue Secretary and Enforcement Directorate will be briefing Income Tax officials on Monday on how to speed up a probe against Modi.

The Enforcement Directorate is likely to soon start an investigation into Modi's foreign transactions. A report in the Economic Times quoting sources says the Income Tax department is in possession of a report, which suggests Modi is allegedly into large-scale betting and money-laundering.

Sources also claim that the Income Tax department has sent BCCI a questionnaire with 10 questions on various aspects of the IPL deal.

Despite the problems Modi found the time to tweet about the IPL controversy. "Lots in media - speculations. welcome all investigation - ready to extend all cooperation," he posted on Twitter.

Modi and IPL:

Lalit Modi made an advance tax payment of Rs 19 lakh in 2007. In 2008, when the first edition of IPL was launched, the advance tax shot up to Rs 2.5 crore. In 2009, when the IPL was shifted to South Africa, Modi paid Rs 32 lakh as advance tax, but in 2010, the advance tax component has gone upto Rs 11 crore.