It seems there's a lot more to the mystery surrounding the IPL Rajasthan Royals franchise than just knowing who its investors are.
On the investment front, there were already a lot of questions doing the rounds — such as what is Lalit Modi's brother-in-law and co-owner Suresh Chellaram's association with the franchise.
Also, Rupert Murdoch's son Lachlan Murdoch has never been in the forefront so far.
However, it's not just about these mysterious owners who bought the team in 2008. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently initiated a probe into the funding pattern of the franchise and it was found that the funds came directly to the IPL from tax havens that are being investigated.
"It is a foreign exchange violation as the investments were not made in a company but in BCCI. A company was set up after the funds came in and later the money was converted to form the Rajasthan Royals equity," a source said.
Rajasthan Royals was the cheapest of eight franchises when the first team auctions were held in 2008. There are questions being raised about whether there was favouritism in awarding the cheapest franchise to Chellaram.
