Modern professional sport is hectic, demanding and it expects huge amount of accountability from the players. The itinerary of modern day cricket sees players playing round the year. How much ever we wish, but commercial and bilateral considerations are such that; year round cricket is a stark reality that cannot be wished away.
Some experts and analysts tend to blame players and their commercial club commitments for playing with injuries et al. We had the case of Sehwag and now Gambhir; however let us put things into perspective.
I sincerely believe that players do not have a choice here. At the outset, the IPL is a tournament organised and promoted by the BCCI. The board charges the franchisees a fat fee and in turn has to make its players available to them. The players in turn are sub-let to the franchisees by the BCCI itself through an auction process.
One has to be realistic and understand that in the practical world, franchisees that pay huge sums for players would try and get the best returns from them in terms of performance and leveraging their star value. Therefore, it is important to realise that the player here is a professional worker like any other professional in other fields of work, who does not have a choice!
Despite the fact that IPL is a club-level tournament, the stakes are high. It is no hidden fact that the crunch matches come in with swelling expectations of franchisee owners and in turn put pressure on the players. This should also explain and justify the salaries of most cricketers. The biggest asset of a cricket tournament is its cricketers and one should not forget that! In the final analysis, it is the players on the field that make or break the success of a tournament.
Make no mistake, I have been a former player myself and I can vouch for the fact that for every Indian cricketer, the priority is always country and Test cricket. Yes, commercial considerations are there as it is the case for any other professional around the world. Take the case of Gambhir and Sehwag, both signed by their franchisees for million dollars plus. In case they were injured prior to the start of the IPL and if they excused themselves from the participation — would the principal organiser, BCCI, compensate these players for having missed the IPL?
More importantly, what would be the impact to a franchisee’s business model if they were to announce that this IPL season their biggest star was not available due to injury? So it is a complex issue that needs policy decisions to be put in place.
Let us not gets jingoistic and blame the players alone. Injuries are part and parcel of the game and modern players have to live with the fact. At times they need to carry and play with injuries niggles also. It is not easy for a Sehwag, Gambhir or Tendulkar, to excuse himself from a high profile tournament like the IPL! Even from a financial perspective, you cannot blame them for playing for commercial reasons. Would you question the patriotism of an IIT or IIM graduate who migrates to another country for better career prospects?
If no, then how can you blame a sportsman whose bread and butter comes from his skills with a bat and ball? It is too simplistic and utopian to think that the commercial interests do not play a factor in a player’s trade-off, in foregoing the IPL riches, as against playing with injury niggles!
A professional sportsperson is no different in his materialistic aspirations as compared to any other young hardworking professional in other strata of society. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar had to play last year’s IPL final with broken fingers; exemplifying the demands and rigors of professional cricket and its accountability.
My solution for this club vs country debate lies in a two-fold strategy. First, BCCI as the principal body, needs to formulate a comprehensive policy to deal with all situations as seen with the case of Gambhir and Sehwag. They need to build consensus with all parties involved, including players, franchisees and the media. The policy should be on paper andshould be transparent so that speculative stories, questioning a player’s integrity, does not arise in the future.
Second, from a cricketing perspective, the national side needs to strengthen its bench strength for the national squad so that right replacements are ready and available when the need arises. With a 365-day cricket calendar becoming a reality, injuries are going to be a part and parcel of the game.
Competent back-up players and prioritising bilateral series on basis of importance is the cricketing way forward to tackle the issue. For the same, it is important for the board to take the selectors and senior team management, including head coach, into confidence.
Comments