IPL 6 scandal: In a spot, in a fix

In case of international cricketers like Sreesanth, the problem is slightly different as compared to Chavan and Chandila. For unlike them, Sreesanth has won national respect for his talent, been a part of India’s T20 and ICC World Cup triumphs and many believed he had a chance to make a comeback to the national squad for the tour against South Africa later this year. So, in that sense, he had a lot more to lose than his other two Rajasthan Royals compatriots. But to succeed in any walk of life, one needs to have a balanced head over one’s shoulders. Sadly, that was missing in Sreesanth’s case. In his entire cricket life, we have seen how Sreesanth has failed to concentrate on the task in hand from time to time and his off field gestures have suggested that he is a constant attention seeker. He is not an exception. From time to time, we have seen others, like Vinod Kambli and even to a lesser extent Praveen Kumar, getting embroiled in off field controversies (not necessarily betting or match fixing) which in turn affected their on-field performance. Characters like these need an individual mentor. Someone who these individuals look up to, can talk to and who can keep them focussed on the job in hand. Otherwise Indian cricket would keep losing some precious talents who failed to come to terms with their own success from time to time.

Finally, we have the case of franchisee administrator Gurunath Meyippan. The problem in this case is not with Mr. Meyippan’s alleged involvement in betting and passing on insider information to bookies, for there is a rule that clearly states that if any one among the team owners gets involved with any unscrupulous activities, then that particular franchise would be terminated from the IPL. The problem here is one of conflict of interest. With Mr Srinivasan, Mr Gurunath’s father-in-law as the BCCI supremo, one has serious doubts whether a free and fair investigation would be allowed to take place. Already there are several attempts being made to project the accused as a mere cricket enthusiast and CSK fan, despite several proofs that point to the contrary. The financial clout that BCCI enjoys today owes itself to its fans. They come to the stadium, and more importantly the corporate houses know that Indians watch cricket on TV. If these fans start turning their back on the game, then the fate of not only the IPL but even Indian cricket in general would be sealed. Indian cricket can ill afford that. So this episode involving Mr. Gurunath should be seen as a golden opportunity to pass a new law to ensure that no BCCI official should own any stake in any IPL franchise. If that can be ensured, BCCI would find itself in a much better position to tackle problems involving franchise owners.

The IPL, despite all its controversies, has been a blessing for many cricketers in general and Indians in particular. Even the Indian audience has welcomed it. But whether it will continue to shine like a star or fizzle out likr a meteorite will depend to a great extent on how BCCI tackles the fixing bug.