Ex-owner Raj Kundra accused of blackmailing current RR owner Manoj Badale- Report

Raj Kundra, the former co-owner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals, has been accused by the team's majority owner of trying to blackmail him by threatening him after he was cheated of his minority ownership in the team.

The London High Court has received a complaint against businessman Raj Kundra from venture investor Manoj Badale and his firm Emerging Media Ventures. They claim that Kundra violated a private 2019 settlement agreement about his previous ownership of the Rajasthan Royals, the 2008 IPL champions, and currently one of cricket's most valued teams with a $12 billion brand value.

Adam Speker, Badale's attorney, described the action as a kind of blackmail and told the court that Kundra, who is married to Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, had tried to exert pressure on Badale by threatening to make serious accusations to Indian authorities.

Kundra, who is married to Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, tried to exert pressure on Badale by threatening to make serious accusations to Indian authorities, according to Badale's attorney Adam Speker, who described the action as a kind of blackmail.

Raj Kundra accuses Manoj Badale of fraudulently leading him to sell his stake in the Rajasthan Royals

In response, Kundra asserted that he had learned details about the claimants and their legal team that "will be exposed in due course" if they are untrue.

Speker claims that after Kundra was found guilty in 2015 of betting on IPL matches, as part of a larger controversy that led to the franchise's two-year suspension, he surrendered his 11.7% interest in the Rajasthan Royals.

According to court filings, Kundra sent Badale an unexpected email last month alleging that he had been "misled and defrauded of the rightful value" of his previous ownership. He vowed to take the issue to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and told Badale that an official complaint had been filed with Indian authorities.

Kundra did, however, indicate that he was open to negotiating and offered either monetary compensation based on the franchise's current price or the restoration of his original stock.

The shamed IPL founder Lalit Modi was recently approached by Kundra, according to Speker, who said that Badale "did not realise cheating me of the true value would cost him dearly."

Badale and Emerging Media Ventures, which presently own 65% of the franchise, obtained an interim injunction on May 30 in reaction to the worsening circumstances. Kundra is prohibited by the order from breaking the terms of the settlement or saying anything disparaging.

William McCormick, Kundra's attorney, stated that his client consented to the injunction staying in effect until the case goes to trial, but he cautioned that this should not be construed as an admission of guilt.

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