NO TAX EVASION, SAYS SANIA
Hyderabad: Tennis star Sania Mirza, who was summoned in connection with an alleged case of non-payment of Service Tax, has denied any tax evasion. In response to the summons issued to the tennis star on February 6, her Chartered Accountant appeared on her behalf before the Service Tax authorities on Wednesday, as she has gone abroad. She contended that the Rs one crore given to her by the Telangana government was a "training incentive". "Sania's representative submitted certain documents before the Service Tax authorities and contended that the Rs 1 crore she received from Telangana government was training incentive and the amount was not towards becoming state's brand ambassador," official sources told PTI.
SHASTRI WARNS OTHER CRICKET BOARDS
New Delhi: A few nations are making a big mistake by trying to take advantage of the current mess that Indian Cricket Board is in, warned former captain Ravi Shastri, who also advised the BCCI to demand every penny it deserves from the ICC for being the biggest revenue generator. Shastri, who served as Team Director of the Indian team before Anil Kumble took over, warned certain cricket boards that this "institution is here to stay." "My warning to such people is: beware... This state of flux will not last for long. BCCI will be back where they belong very very soon. And that is why it is important that the BCCI stresses on the issues at hand," Shastri told website Cricbuzz in an interview.
KAMAl, DESAI ENTER PRE-QUARTERS
New Delhi: Sharath Kamal and Harmeet Desai won their opening round matches in contrasting styles to enter the pre-quarterfinals while second seed Vladimir Samsonov suffered a shock defeat to crash out of the competition in ITTF World Tour India Open here on Thursday. Desai produced a special performance to beat higher-ranked Frenchman Tristan Flore while Kamal completed a comfortable win against Can Akkuzu, also from France. It was also a forgettable day for the highest-ranked female Manika Batra, who put up an ordinary effort against compatriot Mousumi Paul to go down 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 4-11, 8-11 in the opening round.
BCCI PUTS GUIDElINES IN RFP
New Delhi: The Indian Cricket Board has incorporated strict guidelines in their 19-page 'Request For Proposals' (RFP) from interested companies that will stage 8 opening ceremonies during the first match of all the eight franchises including the closing ceremony in Hyderabad. To maintain the transparency and probity that has always been questioned during all editions of the IPl, the new guidelines require the interested parties to be companies with Rs 30 crore annual turnover, ready to pay bank guarantee of 35 percent and with no criminal record.