The Indian Cricket Board is in a fix once again. If the three IPL cricketers' alleged involvement and a team 'owner' (later member) involvement in betting were not enough, the alleged involvement of Raj Kundra, the Rajasthan Royals co-owner in betting, has plunged the IPL into deep crisis.
Some term it shameful and others call it ghastly. Some believe a co-owner's involvement in betting is worse than fixing because he or she, being the owner, can influence the outcome of a game. Some want the whole team to be scrapped.
But the BCCI as usual has taken a guarded stand by saying it would take a decision during the Working Committee meeting on June 10 in New Delhi and "take action if required." Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, the BCCI working group's chief Jagmohan Dalmiya said the issue would come up for discussion at the meeting. "The Raj Kundra issue will be discussed in the Working Committee on June 10 and after we hear the details, if it demands any action, we will look into it," Dalmiya said.
Former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale expressed shock over Kundra's confession. "It is morally wrong since you're owning a team. Such things are not good for cricket and not good for IPL. It's another instance of damaging the faith, Indian cricket lovers have in the sport. Really shocking," said Jagdale, who resigned recently from his position of secretary recently.
"These are the lessons the BCCI will have to learn. The sooner they do it the better it will be. They need to sit together and give priority to cleaning the system and all that has happened recently. There are people who are capable of taking decisions in the BCCI. And such decisions will be taken soon," said Jagdale.
Some former players reiterated that the BCCI must get its act together. "I don't have words for it. A team owner is like the head of a family! If this is what we have to expect from him, then I don't know what will happen to the IPL. We are getting too many wake-up calls. It's high time the BCCI starts the act of cleansing and moving in the right direction," said former spinner Maninder Singh.
"When IPL 6 got over, I thought 10 months would be enough to clean up the system and things would be all right before next year. Now, stopping the tournament altogether seems to be the only option. It's evident now that the malice is too deep rooted," said Maninder.
Another former player, Balwinder Singh Sandhu said what the BCCI is doing is good, but a lot remains to be done. Reacting to Kundra's confession, he said: "If the owner of a house is greedy, what do you expect of the security guard! I think these incidents are devaluing the IPL. A lot of things about the IPL is good. From the labourer to the top, a lot of people are making legal money out of it. The problem is greed. All this is happening because there is a lot of greed all around. I won't say the BCCI is the culprit here, but its certainly responsible."