JOIN USAs far as India is concerned, one of the beautiful marks British imperialism left behind is cricket. Till the 1983 World Cup victory, sabotaging the mighty West Indies, cricket was not that popular in India.
From the moment Haryana Hurricane ran backwards for the crucial catch of Viv Richards, cricket in India started its journey forward. It now paints colours to the dreams of a populace.
By the time of the 29th year of that historic World Cup win, cricket has grown beyond that simple meaning of just play. It’s not just the spirit of the game, it’s about money, glamour and more. Indian Premier League, the professional T-20 cricket league in India, indeed, has a very big role in changing the face, rather fate, of cricket in India. The cash-rich event was born out of a tussle between Zee Group’s rebel Indian Cricket League and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). BCCI has found itself in the middle of many issues and also conflicts with various cricket boards around the world as a result of this 3.67 billion dollar brand value event. IPL, by its fourth edition, was raising the eyebrows of many who love the game from their heart.
It’s pure business
If you ask anyone what is IPL, they will define it in one flourish - ‘it’s all about money’. Indeed, the IPL has now landed in all sorts of muck which a gentleman’s game ought not to have. Money, cheer girls, celebrities, match-fixing, spot-fixing, nepotism and much more find its place in IPL over the act of playing cricket. The rush of money in and out of IPL is raising some serious questions. “Cricket has a little role to play in IPL.” says a former Ranji player.
Even junior players are getting opportunity to play in IPL. At the start of their career, they get crores of rupees for playing few hours. The money from IPL is more than sufficient for a lifetime. In such a scenario, do you think that any junior player will be serious about playing in Ranji matches?, asked a current first-class umpire.
Players are merely equipment for the franchise owners. They are assigned to go to the middle and whack the ball. Techniques and copybook shots are big jokes here. Even senior players, with huge experience behind them, were forced to return to pavilion with heads bowed with shame, by the franchise owners. “For corporates and celebrities, its just like any other business. They are coming here not because they are damn crazy about cricket. Ultimately what do they get? Free publicity and advertisement. Tomorrow, if Volleyball has more market, they will go behind that”, fumed one fan. Humanitarian aspect of game is now lost, complained a former cricket administrator. Many players are losing the dedication too. Whether one plays or not, the money will come, is the changed mindset.
Earlier, during matches, players used the intervals to discuss the game, plan how to improve technique etc. Now, they run for rave parties. Until two years back, there were official IPL parties where one could pay and party with celebrities and cricketers. After a few controversies, such parties were stopped by the board. Franchises used to generate huge amount of money through these parties. So, even if a player did not wish to attend, he had to go for the sake of his franchise.
“The level of cricket has come down. Lot of fixing is going on. General public cannot understand, but insiders know it all,” said a member of IPL organising team, who did not want to be named. “A team which was not on the picture of play-off probable, suddenly emerged into it and now eventually marched into the final. Look at the way one national team member batted in the decider match, he just threw his wicket away. A man who didn’t play any significant innings so far in the tourney became match winner in the decider. Don’t you feel something fishy,” he asked. “I can bet with you, which team is going to win this time; not only me, many inside the IPL can,” he added.
Many think that there is an unholy nexus between franchises. “There is not much distance between players’ dugouts and franchise owners’ seats. They can easily ‘inform’ players. So, we cannot completely turn down that possibility”, said a senior cricket association official.
“IPL is good for the development of the game. It will improve the infrastructure and benefit old players”, said Karnataka State Cricket Association’s Mangalore Zone Convener Srikanth Rai.
What’s the solution?
“Best way to end match fixing issues is to make it legal. Betting is legal in many parts of the world. Revenue can also generate through this. I suspect that vested interests are against legalising betting,” added Rai.
Only BCCI -- the largest money generating sports organisation in the country -- can clean the game. Ajay Maken, Union Sports Minister, wants BCCI to come under RTI’s ambit, but he hasn’t succeeded so far because many political leaders are involved with cricket administration. NCP leader Sharad Pawar is the International Cricket Council’s President, while BJP leader Arun Jaitley is Vice President of the BCCI.Rajiv Shukla, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Congress leader, is the IPL Commissioner.
Many western political scientists analyse that the club football leagues in Europe and US are successful experiments of political regimes to divert youth from major social and political issues in the state. What about IPL?
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