“What authority does the BCCI or IPL have to ban me?”: Asad Rauf

"What authority does the BCCI or IPL have to ban me when the court in Mumbai told the police they had no evidence against me?" Rauf told PTI.

The 49-year-old has also dismissed the BCCI's claim that the umpire failed to complete his assignments, and left the country mid-way through the tournament.

"The BCCI and IPL appointed an investigation commissioner and they claimed I fled from India without completing my IPL assignment which is not true. I completed all my assignments and left India in fact one day after my assignments ended," he said.

He blamed the BCCI of wrongly accusing him, despite the court's verdict. He said, "The court said Rauf earns more than 3 million rupees a month so accepting small gifts like jeans, t-shirts or caps is not a big issue. The BCCI and IPL appointed commissioner Ravi Sawani didn't even bother to check when I left India and made accusations against me to the police”.

Rauf, who was dropped from the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) and Pakistan’s list of umpires after Mumbai police raised allegations against him, has promised to not go down without a fight though. The umpire had denied all allegations back in 2013 by claiming it as a conspiracy against him.

"I told them that I would come with my lawyer but they insisted I should come alone, so I didn't go. But I offered them to meet me in Karachi or Dubai and they declined. After which I sent them my detailed statement," he claimed."The BCCI or IPL is no authority to ban me. Even if the Pakistan Cricket Board is not willing to take up my case, I will do it myself through my lawyer," he added.