The spot-fixing saga has opened a Pandora’s Box and skeletons are tumbling out at the speed of a straight six from the flashy bats of Chennai Super Kings’ powerful batting lineup.
If CSK team principal Gurunath Meiyappan’s alleged link with the arrested Vindoo Dara Singh is a body blow to cricket control board, the pictures of M. Vijay and Suresh Raina partying with the daughter of the Chennai betting industry’s kingpin — Prashant — has created shock waves.
For starters, like their counterparts who host colourful parties with Bollywood damsels, the CSK camp too has been bursting with ‘exclusive parties’, but rather quietly. Gurunath’s connection with tinsel town — which can be traced back to his family who own the iconic production house AVM — could have opened the door for several actresses who got easy access to the Chennai players.
One such was Lakshmi Rai being introduced to M.S. Dhoni in an after-match party at the team hotel in Chennai during the inaugural edition in 2008.
Lakshmi Rai, who was seen walking into a party with Gurunath a day after her birthday in 2008, was spotted riding pillion with Dhoni the same night on his superbike — the monster machine was reportedly a gift from Super Kings management.
It didn’t just end with the night ride as she became a regular fixture at Chepauk’s VIP box and the grapevine had it that the actress and the cricketer were an item.
Later, Lakshmi Rai was even linked with Sreesanth following their hot photoshoot in Kerala.
Another incident which puzzled many in Kollywood was the unceremonious sacking of Nayanthara from CSK’s brand ambassador role. The actress apparently got the boot for ‘not turning up at Chennai’s matches’, according to Gurunath in an earlier interview to a website.
During IPL-6, a leading Tamil actor’s daughter, who is also into acting, spent a lot of time in the CSK camp cheering the team from the VIP box. She, a little birdie told us, has also been spotted with CSK’s left-handed batsman who drives a Porsche on the streets of Chennai.
It also involves a funny story when the Porsche broke down one day. The swashbuckling batsman abandoned it on Boat Club Road, leaving the key with a couple of strangers saying “I will have a shower in my hotel and come back in 10 minutes, wait here.”
Arrested ‘bookie’ Vindoo was first seen at a match between Mumbai Indian and Chennai Super Kings on April 6. He was not just seen seated next to Sakshi Dhoni. He was also filmed interacting with Arun Pandey (Dhoni’s manager) and Arthy — wife of CSK player Anirudha Srikkanth and daughter-in-law of Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor Kris Srikkanth.
After the game, Vindoo told a newspaper that he attended the match on Gurunath’s invite. “I must have received thousands of calls that night. I really didn’t think that sitting next to Sakshi would get me so much attention. I don’t know why the camera was focussing on me so much.
“I know him (Gurunath) well. When I reached the box, Sakshi told me to come and sit next to her. I had met Dhoni and her last year during the IPL finale,” Vindoo was quoted as saying.