Indian politicians have been ensnared in the scandal surrounding the Indian Premier Cricket League and ruling coalition has been strained after Monday's removal of the IPL's chief executive Lalit Modi from his post.
Tax authorities are probing the three-year old $5.5 billion event, after a junior government minister resigned following allegations of improper influence.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India, the BCCI, axed IPL chief Modi immediately after the final match of the 2010 series, past midnight local time, saying he had "brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself."
While Modi has not been formally charged and denies any wrongdoing, newspapers have said authorities are investigating reports of improprieties in bidding for teams and in negotiating television broadcast rights for the matches.
The enormous popularity of the game in India has made the BCCI one of the richest sporting bodies in the world and brought to its board politicians, businessmen and royalty.
