BCCI cannot escape blame

On February 3, this paper had carried a story about an International Cricket Council-commissioned report on anti-corruption reforms.

The report, submitted to the world body by a former Hong Kong solicitor general, said that the IPL had increased the risk of match-fixing in cricket. The reaction of the IPL officials, surprisingly, was muted to these adverse observations.

“These are general and generic observations,” rubbished a high-ranking IPL official.

Like the cat that drinks milk with its eyes closed, the BCCI and IPL officials wantonly stay blind to the happenings around them. Either they were recklessly complacent or deliberately indifferent that everything is hunky-dory in a tournament in which corporate houses and businessmen have high stakes. Money means little here and the owners are known to go to any extent to have their way. Rs30 crore was paid to acquire a player of limited abilities.

The BCCI has also contributed to the present state of affairs. It has not learnt the lessons from Pakistan where misguided youth have fallen prey to the lure of easy money. The IPL is a tournament of youngsters but there is no programme of counselling the players. The young and modestly-educated players are not taught how to handle success, fame, failure and instant rewards. Anil Kumble had submitted a proposal to this effect but it was reportedly shot down on the grounds that it was too expensive. The richest cricket body in the world can surely afford this programme that can only enhance the credibility of its tournament.

Some of the IPL rules also gravely encourage non-transparency and unlawful practices. To begin with, the sanctity of the $9 million salary cap has systematically been demolished by the BCCI by allowing the franchises to have their own arrangement with “retained” players. We will never know the salaries of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, etc.

Then, by not bringing some “experienced” uncapped players into the auction, they have encouraged the underhand dealings. A Manish Pandey would have reason to be aggrieved if he is entitled to only Rs30 lakh for being an uncapped player when a three-match capped player like Saurabh Tiwary draws Rs8 crore.

The IPL could have easily avoided the murky dealings that are being exposed now. If it had not foreseen the latest turn of events, the men in charge are either incompetent or naive.

Either way it is not good for the health of Indian cricket. The BCCI cannot escape blame for this.