JOIN USBCCI, IPL: Cosy club of officials, owners
The shock waves as a result of the verdict by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice M R Lodha Committee are being felt across the cricketing globe.
In a way, the outcome isn’t surprising because the Indian Premier League is an edifice that has been built on a shaky ground. Right from its inception in 2008, conflict of interests has towered over cricketing spirit, over-sized egos have trumped ethics and petty politics has prevailed over prudence.
The unprecedented success of the league, however, glossed over everything that was wrong with it. From ownership patterns to awarding television contracts, rules were made on whims and fancies of individuals and flouted with impunity.
There was no diligence taken and no accountability fixed. Oligarchy and opaqueness came to define the IPL. By awarding teams to functionaries within the BCCI and to his relatives, Lalit Modi, who gave himself a fancy designation of Chairman and Commissioner of the league, made it a family affair that is the root of its biggest problem now.
Modi and his friend-turned-foe N Srinivasan connived to tweak the constitution of IPL so that the latter could buy a franchise through India Cements Ltd (ICL) -- of which he is the managing director and vice-chairman -- despite being the treasurer of the BCCI at that point in time.
It was so blatant that the Supreme Court in its January order this year struck down the clause that allowed board officials to have commercial interest in the IPL and the Champions League T20, making Srinivasan’s position untenable. To hide behind the technicality that Srinivasan was a mere shareholder of ICL and not the owner is as frivolous as his terming of Gurunath Meiyappan, his son-in-law, a mere ‘cricket enthusiast.’
It’s not just Modi and Srinivasan who are to be blamed for this brazenness though. The entire Governing Council, including the then BCCI president Shashank Manohar, was party to it. That Manohar now maintains a holier-than-thou attitude is laughable to say the least. And it’s not just Srinivasan who had conflict of interest by owning a team. Suresh Chellaram, Modi’s co-brother-in-law, held a majority of shares (44.2 per cent) in the Rajasthan Royals.
Chellaram has transferred his shares since then to a company owned by his daughter. There were Modi connections in Kings XI Punjab too as one of the owners, Mohit Burman of Dabur family, turned out to be the brother of the UK-based Gaurav who is the step son-in-law of the former IPL czar. It’s also worth noting that both Royals and Kings XI were bought at lower prices – $67m and $76m, respectively.
Modi was ambitious, no doubt. He didn’t just want the control of the BCCI but of the ICC as well. He was willing to go any length to achieve his stated goal and IPL gave him the perfect platform to build his case. Within two years of IPL’s existence, Modi had become the face of the Indian cricket. He rubbed shoulders with high profile politicians and hung around with Bollywood celebrities. Signing autographs and giving interviews every second day, he was a celebrity himself.
ED probe
But to sustain this manufactured success, he continued to twist and manipulate the system until it became rotten and corrupt. After his many run-ins with the UPA government, which let the Enforcement Directorate to probe his broadcast deals, among others, that appeared suspicious, the BCCI began to distance itself from him before eventually getting rid of him. “While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of IPL, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Lalit Modi, have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself,” Manohar had said. Mysteriously, both Manohar and Modi don’t exchange any barbs these days even as they target Srinivasan together.
While the current IPL mess is a collective responsibility of the powers in the BCCI then and now, Modi and Srinivasan will have to cop major blame. If Modi brought notoriety to the league with his shady dealings, Srinivasan has taken it to the brink in an effort to save his relative and team. While Modi and Srinivasan are two distinct characters, the common link between them is their naked ambition and complementing arrogance.
Neither has given any regard for the IPL rules they helped draft. The application of rules has appeared to be random at best and blatantly different for different people.
While players caught in corrupt practices and teams (Kochi, Chargers, Pune Warriors) violating agreements were shunned with much alacrity, the same diligence was not exercised when it came to dealing with officials/owners involved in illegal betting.
That the BCCI and IPL members didn’t even as much nudge Srinivasan to act against those in the dock describes their style of functioning. It’s a cosy club of officials who are busy protecting mutual interests. It finally took three retired judges to make them realise their folly but at what price!a
The young players who don't easily get an opportunity, they miss out. I feel disappointed for them, but we respect the decision the court has taken.
Rahul Dravid
I didn’t find any such player concern expressed by anyone when Kochi Tuskers and Pune Warriors teams were expelled from the IPL. So what’s so special about the players of Rajasthan Royals and CSK that suddenly this concern for the players? Where was the public concern when these two teams’ larger number of players were affected? Maybe, they were not star players but they too have a heart, they have sentiments, they also had incomes.”
Justice Mukul Mudgal