Ever since its inception in 2008,
the IPL has been the favourite punching bag of
some of the cricket pundits, ex cricketers and commentators alike. Some
of the pundits have even gone to the extent of holding the IPL responsible
whenever the Indian team has fared poorly in a crucial series. Some of the
people on the other hand have credited the rise of IPL stating that it offers a
platform for the young players who
happen to go unnoticed by the
various bunch of selectors. But during the last couple of years the IPL has
been in the news for all the wrong reasons be it late night parties where
players have been caught under the influence of drugs. Last year 3 of the
players were banned for life by the BCCI when a sting operation was carried out
by a news channel where they were allegedly involved in fixing some matches in
the IPL. This season had started on a very bright note when the quality of
cricket was of a very high standard with
the new teams like the Sunrisers Hyderabad making it to the playoff stage
without a star studded lineup of players. I being a bit weary of the IPL was
myself astonished as to how I was getting hooked on to these games.
Alas at the fag end of the
tournament, 3 cricketers S Sreesanth,
Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chauhan all of
them of the Rajasthan Royals were arrested for their alleged role in spot
fixing and connections with the bookies. There was a lot of panic all around the
media, fans, the team owners of the RR and even Rahul Dravid who is the skipper
of RR was quoted as being very hurt and disappointed by the ongoing
occurrences. To me as an ordinary cricket fan this muddle was just waiting to
happen and the BCCI along with its so called honorary members are responsible
for the sad state of affairs in Indian cricket. For a long time the Indian
cricket fan and its well wishers
have been crying out for a more
professional approach towards this great game of cricket by its administrators.
Many people are astounded that with the kind of insane money which the
cricketers are earning from this cash rich league, where was the need for these
3 players to be blinded by greed leading them to help the bookies in spot
fixing during some of the matches. The matters become even worse when one of
the players Sreesanth was a part of the historic world cup final in 2011. I am
also shocked with the complete silence of former greats of the game like Sunil
Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. Yes it is well documented that these former players
have an ongoing contract with the IPL and the BCCI and they will not open their
mouth against any wrong doings of the BCCI. It has been proven frequently that
ex cricketers like Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri are just mere spoke persons of the BCCI.
It is this very situation which
pains me and a million of the Indian cricket fans. These former greats should
have placed the national interest in front of their own monetary benefit which
could have done a great deal of service to this game. The average cricket
loving public must have been stung and hurt by the recent shambolic situation.
The fan should hurt and he should have a say in these matters of national
pride. Today a fan like me is feeling cheated and being taken for a ride due to
the selfish motives of a handful of people. Unless the BCCI does not do
systemic changes and bring in a whole new professional approach we might just
be discussing these same things a few years down the line. Implementation of
stringent laws must take place which can act as deterrent for players and
administrators. I would like to thank the Indian electronic and print media for
raising these pertinent issues and scandals and even if some people think that
a media trial is been conducted, I have no problems with that until the police
authorities reach to the crux of this
matter. If not for the alert media this scandal of spot fixing would not have
created a stir even though the delhi police have done a sterling job during
their investigation. The BCCI is
accountable to the cricket loving public of this country and not just to its
inner coterie of people. It would be a real commendable job if the cricket fans
hit the street and demand transparency from the BCCI. We owe this much to the
great game of cricket whom we all love and endear. For we must remember that
merely banning the IPL is not going to take us anywhere ( going by the
reputation of the board this seems a distant dream). The IPL has become a truly
global brand and its reputation should not be compromised .in the BCCI we have
a very unique situation where all the leading political parties are very well represented and soon the BCCI could lead the IOA way. All
the political leaders belonging to different parties are strongly united when
it comes to the matters of the BCCI and when asked about their motives behind
heading the various state associations all of these honorary members cite the
reason of serving the game of cricket. All these officials have their own
flourishing businesses and if they are claiming to be servants of Indian cricket,
the Indian cricket fan is not stupid enough to believe them. The utter disdain
with which these board officials are behaving is deplorable to say the least
and they should always remember that it
is not because of them or because of the players that the game is healthier and
richer but because of the revenue paying public which makes the brand of IPL
and cricket what it is. As far as the game is concerned its reputation has certainly
be tarnished but if strong and sincere efforts are made on the part of the Indian
government as well as the BCCI then the game will certainly emerge out to be
even more stronger and better in due course of time.
