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Former BCCI President and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday dismissed reports of his family's involvement in the bid for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisees. He rubbished a newspaper report linking his family to the IPL bid. Talking to reporters here, Pawar said: "Neither I nor my family is involved with any IPL team or with the bidding process." "Whatever has been reported in the newspaper today was reported two months back also. At that time also I explained my position, which remains the same now. Neither me nor my family has direct or indirect involvement in any IPL team or in the bidding process," he added. Commenting on the report that his family holds shares in the Pune-based construction company City Corporation which made an unsuccessful bid for a franchise in March, Pawar claimed that the MD of the company, Anirudhha Deshpande, had made the bid in his individual capacity. He also reiterated that the IPL is clean and that there is nothing murky about the ownership patterns and financial transactions in the league. "The government agencies are inquiring and anyone who has done anything wrong, will be punished," he added.

Sharad Pawar denies involvement in IPL bids