A clear winner

FIRST EDIT

In the run up to the recently concluded general elections, two ‘Modis’ were in the news for entirely different reasons. If Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was the star campaigner for the BJP, the Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi made the second edition of the immensely popular cricket tournament possible despite many odds. The clashing of dates of the general elections with the IPL and the consequent security concerns forced Lalit Modi to shift the competition to South Africa. Now that both the elections and the IPL have concluded successfully without the one running into the other, it may be declared that between the two Modis, Lalit was the clear winner. While Narendra Modi’s largely negative campaign grounded his party’s aspirations and possibly helped the Congress to get a new, more resounding mandate, Lalit Modi took a bold initiative to keep the IPL alive and met with resounding success.

Royal Challengers Bangalore supporters might have been disappointed that RCB captain Anil Kumble, who turned his team’s fortunes around midway through the tournament, was not able to lift the Cup. But Deccan Chargers, who along with RCB were the wooden spooners last time, were the worthy winners at the end of a great competition. What was remarkable was that the South African people extended tremendous support to the IPL and lapped it up as their own. It’s the heady mix of the excitement that Twenty20 cricket generates and the international flavour of the competing teams that possibly contributed to its popularity and universal appeal. The IPL authorities have proved that the most attractive form of cricket powered by Indian business acumen and its money power can withstand any crisis and has the potential to dictate the game’s future.

The South African experience would have convinced Lalit Modi and his ilk that the International Cricket Council’s dithering on accommodating IPL in its annual calendar would have no bearing on its continuity and success. There’s already a hint that there could be two IPLs a year, one in India and the other wherever cricket has its followers. In fact, if the ICC and some of the cricket boards continue to play an obstructionist role, there is every danger of several international players preferring to play in the IPL rather than representing their national teams. The ICC would do well to see the writing on the wall and act in the overall interest and the future of the game.