Former commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Lalit Modi’s explosive claim that that the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI), had a significant part to play in the exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the multi-million dollar league was least surprising, and neither was the timing of his ‘revelation’. Whether or not there is an element of truth in the former IPL commissioner’s statement is another matter altogether. The fact is that there were always constant doubts over the way the league was being run, and being the leader of the pack, the onus was on Modi to stop any wrongdoing. However, he kept quiet all the while that he was at the helm of affairs. That he has decided to open his big mouth now, when he has been disgraced by the BCCI makes it extremely clear that he is only trying to get back at the cricket board.
And, if further proof is needed of the same, he came out with more sensational statements, claiming that the 2009 auction of Andrew Flintoff was rigged. In hindsight, if ones takes away the money factor, the Pakistan players must consider themselves extremely fortunate that they were not part of the highly controversial league. Instead, they have gone ahead rebuilding their side under the leadership of Misbah-ul-Haq and have done exceedingly well so far. The Aussie players too, captain Michael Clarke included, have taken the commendable decision of choosing country over money, preferring to skip the IPL so that they can concentrate on the real challenges the game offers. The Indian players who also want to follow suit cannot be as lucky since BCCI is their boss after all, and they would have to follow their diktat, even if they do not want to. This is again debatable, for very few players it seems would be unhappy over receiving such huge sums of money for practically doing next to nothing.
With Modi coming out with so many controversial disclosures just a couple of months before the fifth edition of the league, the onus is now on BCCI to make things clear cut. It has not helped matters that Sahara has pulled out of sponsoring the Indian team and will most probably not even feature in this year’s IPL. And just sometime back, Kochi Tuskers too were terminated from the league following a lengthy tussle with the cricket board. There is still no clear picture as to what went wrong and Kochi are also taking legal action over the same. All these factors have combined to make the league a disaster.
If the BCCI really wants the IPL to be seen as a proper cricket league, they have a lot of answering to do. First and foremost they must prove that Modi’s allegations are false. If indeed the BCCI arm-twisted the franchisees, asking them not to bid for any Pakistan players then it was a really shameful act. As former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad pointed out, cricketers from his countries are not allowed to take part in the IPL, but actors and artists from Pakistan are easily allowed access to India. This is a definite bias. Does BCCI have any answer to this? Equally important is the allegation over the supposed rigging of Flintoff. If indeed the BCCI held a rigged auction, this was another demeaning kind of behaviour. The cricket board must make it extremely clear that Flintoff’s auction wasn’t rigged else the IPL will completely lose its credibility.
Last but not the least, the BCCI somehow has to try and ensure that this time round there is as little controversy as possible. However, going by the current scheme of things there is little possibility of that happening. Also, do not expect Modi to keep quiet. Does anyone still think the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about cricket and entertainment?
By: The Pinch Hitter
Ever since The Pinch Hitter was introduced to cricket at the age of nine, he fell in love with the gentleman’s game. While his desire to take up the sport professionally remained unfulfilled, he substituted the bat with the pen. And since 2003, he has been commenting on the sport for various magazines, websites, enjoying every moment of it. With ‘Over the top’ he hopes to continue enlightening and enlivening ‘cricket companions’ the write way.
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