The 10th edition of India’s pride and the world’s envy, the Indian Premier League, began on Saturday, creating waves of happiness among its vast legion of supporters. In this ecstatic world where the best players, coaches, trainers and analysts lend their valuable skills to provide pulsating entertainment, writing on a minor event involving club cricketers that took place in Rajasthan may seem inappropriate and even out of place. But write I must, even at the expense of being called a spoilsport, as the ramifications of what transpired in a tournament branded Rajputana Premier League, could be revelatory of a deep-rooted malaise.
Like many leagues mushrooming across India and even the world, there is nothing unusual in having one more in Rajasthan. A few “businessmen”, even if they produce nothing big or branded, get together, set up teams with club-level players and create a league on the pattern of the IPL.
What is a bit surprising is that despite having no big names, a well-known channel decides to show the matches live. This could be attributed to the growing interest in these T20 leagues, whatever be the quality of the players or the action on display.
As the Indian Express newspaper reported, what caught the eye of the cricketing establishment, was the unusual pattern of play, where seemingly blatant wide balls were bowled in the final over or the last ball. On the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s complaint, the local police found a lot of dodgy things and an investigation has now been initiated.
It might be of interest to note that it is suspected that the Rajputana Premier League, right from conception and execution, might have been deliberately created as a reality show. One where the unfolding drama and its climax is not left to a combination of talent and unpredictability, but conditions are created to make the contest an edge-of- the-seat thriller.
What is equally disturbing is that a former Indian cricketer, who has played in all three formats of the international game, is also a suspect. He wasn’t just spotted on the sidelines of this dubious league but is said to have business links with the masterminds of this racket. It hasn’t been confirmed if he was aware of the multiple layers of deception that were in place to manipulate the odds.
This story exposed by the newspaper, is one more in the chain of how not just players but even the owners and organisers may be playing a fixed role in this game of profit at any cost. It is also a mystery why a reputed TV channel should go for live broadcast of matches of only local interest.
It is an encouraging sign that the BCCI took the initiative to get the probe going into this Rajputana League drama. The IPL itself has suffered on account of multiple accusations, some proven, some unfounded. That it is not only surviving but thriving, shows that spectators don’t seem to care what goes on in the background and are happy with this new, vibrant toy which continues to titillate them.
Hopefully the Indian board has learnt its lessons well, especially after the Gurunath Mayappan “betting” case and its cover-up which led to the Supreme Court’s intervention. It needs to keep a hawk eye on the goings-on in the various leagues played around. As people brace up for non-stop month-long thrills, they should not forget that if the virus finds its way into the very foundations, there is every chance that it could also affect the top.