Kundra says bought a team in his poker league but his cheque for Rs 40 lakh bounced; the latter alleges the tournament was rigged and no deal was signed
Lata Mishra (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 29, 2018)

Raj Kundra, the former co-owner of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, and actor Sachiin Joshi, son of gutka baron Jagdish Joshi, are accusing each other of deceit and fraud after a bitter fallout over a poker league launched by Kundra last year.

Kundra alleged that Sachiin Joshi was a part of the consortium that bought a team in his Match Indian Poker League, and that he gained immense "publicity" from the event but defaulted on payments. He alleged that a cheque of Rs 40 lakh that Joshi issued was dishonoured, after which he initiated legal proceedings.

Joshi's representatives said Kundra had "rigged" the tournament to ensure a particular team won, and when Joshi realised it, he pulled out of the event. "We never signed any agreement with Kundra, so there is no question of payment," Joshi's representatives said.

 THE TOURNAMENT
Kundra, who was removed from the IPL by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Mudgal Panel for alleged irregularities in 2013, announced in September last year that his Match India Poker League will have eight teams. He said he had signed up with actors Harman Baweja and Sachiin Joshi, and a few companies.

The teams were named Ahmedabad Hearts, Bangalore Royals, Delhi Aces, Goa King's (owned by Joshi, according to Kundra), Jaipur Jewels, Mumbai All Stars, Pune Knights, and Kolkata Diamonds.

Kundra told Mumbai Mirror that Joshi stopped answering his calls and messages after the tournament got over. "Yes, we have gone legal on Sachiin Joshi. He has been terminated from the Match Indian Poker League for defaulting on payments. His cheque for Rs 40 lakh has bounced. His team was Goa King's; he took full publicity and after the event avoided my calls and messages. I thought he was a friend. I am completely disappointed," Kundra said.

Responding to Kundra's allegations, Manoj Asrani, Group CMO, of Joshi's firm Viiking Ventures, called Kundra a "con man". "Raj Kundra initiated a poker tournament by the name of Match IPL and around 10 teams were formed. There were commitments made and the same weren't delivered. When we got to know that the tournament was rigged for a specific team to win, we withdrew our participation and did not sign any agreement. We made sure that the payments don't clear as there was nothing to pay for and also informed other partners that we are out of this fraudulent tournament. We are pursuing this legally and will make sure that this goes through the right justice channels," Asrani said.

Asrani further said Kundra "loved building Ponzi schemes and then bombing out". "Seeing that his frauds have been uncovered, Mr Kundra is seeking asylum behind the curtain of lies and is trying hard to push things off his shoulder. No wonder he is going around throwing names and baseless allegations," Asrani said.