The victory in the 1983 World Cup is still considered the apotheosis of Indian cricket, helping the game to emerge a clear front-runner in terms of popularity. But it was the 1987 World Cup, staged in India, which changed the whole scenario. Cricket took its first giant step towards commercialisation.

The credit should go to two sharp-minded Indian businessmen who dared to challenge the monopoly of the West. Jagmohan Dalmiya and Inderjit Singh Bindra successfully brought the World Cup out of England, proving for the first time that cricket could be a money-spinner and the BCCI was no more an obedient servant.
Till then the BCCI was treated as an outsider by the traditional powerhouses. Post-1987, they were forced to change their mindset. They had to accept the fact that the power base has gradually been shifting to the sub-continent.

The ascendancy of Dalmiya as the BCCI and later ICC’s president marked the beginning of an irrevocable journey. The Kolkata businessman transformed the situation and for him what mattered was the end not the means. This attitude, however, did him in at a later stage of his career. 

Dalmiya's strategy to woo television channels made the cricket market a monopoly of India. It is no more a
secret that cricket tour schedules are driven by the needs of channels, each wanting a major share of the Indian honey pot. 

Now, about 70 per cent of the cricketing revenue is from the sub-continent which enables the BCCI to offer monetary support to cash-strapped boards in Sri Lanka and West Indies. That financial clout among the non-white nations gives the BCCI the power to bid for its pound of flesh at the world stage and makes the big boys adopt a cautious approach. At this juncture it is quite apt to ask two questions. Where is the BCCI headed? Can the board handle further financial boom? Board supremo Sharad Pawar has a huge role in the coming days in this regard. A veteran statesman, Pawar should lead firmly from the front. 

Perhaps, he can take a cue from Bindra’s words. “It is quite heartening to see the Indian board wield power which was unimaginable at one stage. But we have to use our power judiciously and in a right way for the betterment of the game,” said the Punjab-man who is a strong contender to succeed Malcolm Speed as the CEO of the ICC.

Pawar is certain to become the ICC president in two years and his stint coincides with the 2011 World Cup to be staged jointly by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In one sense, we will see the BCCI brandishing more power – financial and political in the next few years. But how judiciously will be the key to its image and success.

Dalmiya’s magic

*  When Dalmiya entered BCCI as secretary in 1992-93, the board’s bank balance had Rs 81.60 lakh.
After being president, when he was ousted after a decade, the board had a turnover of over Rs44 crore

* When Dalmiya became ICC president, the world body had USD $25,000 in its coffers. When he left two years later, the ICC had $ 11 million.

* In 2003-04 the ICC’s balance sheet showed total assets of $94.9 million, a net cash outflow of $79.5 million and $79 million in cash and investments.

* In 1994, Dalmiya and Co sold the TV rights for telecasting matches for the first time and the BCCI earned one million dollars from it.

Driving the products

MS Dhoni
Rs 4-4.5 crore per ad (Total 15)
Reebok, Speed, TVS, Pepsi,
Seagrams, Reliance, GE Money

S Tendulkar
Rs 2-2.5 crore per ad (Total 14)
MRF, Pepsi, Canon, Adidas, Sunfeast

R Dravid
Rs 1.5 crore each per ad
Hutch, Max New York Life, Pepsi, Britannia, Bank of Baroda

Yuvraj Singh
Rs 1.5 crore each per ad
Pepsi, Hero Honda, Seagrams, Reebok

Sourav Ganguly
Rs 1.5 crore each per ad
Tata Indicom, Puma, Sahara,
Chirag Computers.

Approximate figures