Stage set for round one of Modi's defence

Lalit Modi is expected to reply in in person on Monday to the show-cause notice served by the Indian board, comprising five charges, on April 26. However, his appearance at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai is unlikely to produce the dramatic denouement the saga has promised.

On Saturday, after sending an emissary with the documents asked by the board last month post his suspension, Modi said that he had nothing to hide and he would "personally reply" to the show-cause slapped on him.

BCCI sources said Modi's reply, once it comes in, will be taken up by the board's three-man disciplinary committee, comprising Shashank Manohar (BCCI president) and two vice-presidents - Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin, who was appointed the interim IPL chairman after Modi's suspension. "The disciplinary committee is likely to meet in mid-June," a BCCI official said.

Immediately after his suspension, Modi had threatened to come out with various revelations that would expose many names. "Wait for the IPL to finish - I will reveal the men who have tried to bring disrepute to the game and how we stopped them from doing it," he'd said. It is clear, though, that Modi's reply is going to be detailed and voluminous - some estimates put it at 5000 pages.

But for now, Modi will need to remain patient to hear from the disciplinary committee, which might even ask him to depose before it if need be; otherwise the panel would pass its conclusions to the board. The special general body will then sit to take a vote on the decisions and ratify. Meanwhile, Modi will have the opportunity to challenge the board's decision.