Indian entrepreneur and joint founder of the Match Indian Poker League with Patrick Nally, Raj Kundra, has had a torrid week so far following two challenges to league promotional activity.
In the first challenge Global Poker League (GPL) founder Alex Dreyfus queried IPL promotional claims on the Poker Guru news site that Faraz Jaka and Mustapha Kanit would be taking part in the inaugural IPL tournament next month.
The upshot was a Twitter exchange in which Jaka denied any involvement with, or indeed any knowledge of the IPL, which was followed by an IPL response acknowledging that “certain” names had been “unintentionally used”, an error that was regretted, and had been addressed with a retraction.
It’s not the first time Kundra has been embarrassed by false claims of celebrity involvement; InfoPowa readers may recall that a year ago he faced similar criticism over claims that cricketing legend Shane Warne was the ambassador for his subsequently failed Celebrity Poker venture. Warne vigorously denied any involvement, forcing Kundra to admit that his claims of a business association with Warne were false.
Earlier this year Match Indian Poker League also found itself facing the wrath of cricket’s Indian Premier League.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India pointed out that the acronym IPL was theirs and should not be used by the Kundra and Nally companies in the promotion of the Match Indian Poker League.
The letter rather sternly advised Match IPL that the use of the acronym was a blatantly uinlicensed and illegal act against the BCCI and its protected acronym.
Kundra is contesting the BCCI claim, arguing that his use of the acronym is distinct, related to poker and therefore appropriate and legal, but he is facing a formidable and deep-pocketed opponent in the BBCI and the odds are probably against him.