CHENNAI: In his first press conference as the interim president of the BCCI (IPL affairs), last year, Sunil Gavaskar straightaway addressed the need to keep the tournament controversy-free “till the last ball was bowled.” The theme pervaded the interaction in Bengaluru, as he stressed, specified and preached the need to keep the edition, held as installments in Dubai and India owing to elections, bereft of scams and scandals, taints and taunts.
In every sense, Gavaskar couldn’t have deflected the focus to any other topic, for the shadows of the worst fixing scandal to have malaised Indian cricket was lurking around. The crying need of the hour was to restore its shattered credibility and ebbing public faith. So an incident-free edition was a not just a requisite but a requirement.
Not just for Indian cricket, but for the cricketing world in general, as India is so powerful, accounting for an estimated 75 per cent of the game’s revenue, that, if it fails to restore its tenability, the damage will reverberate around the cricketing world.
Two months later, as the seventh seasoned climaxed in a breezy Bangalore night, with Piyush Chawla smoking Parwinder Awana over point to complete a tense run-chase and a second title for Kolkata Knight Riders, Gavaskar would have broken into a high-five. He didn’t. But he would have felt considerably unburdened. At least, his voice regained the lost spunk, as he later reflected on the success.
Much to Gavaskar and the powers-to-be’s relief, the episode passed on hassle-free and corruption-proof, and if the filled stands and TRP ratings are any indication, it did manage to retrieve the public faith. The opening ceremony was typically showy, but the script that unfolded in the next two months was largely run-of-the mill stuff.
But given the stormy prelude, the acerbic doomsayers and the loud scrap-it campaigners, the IPL officials would have been reasonably content, though not excited.
According to a member of the IPL-7 governing council, the edition was one of the better-run shows. “There was a lot of apprehension before the start of the event. A lot of people wanted to scrap it and there were many keening to unearth a controversy. There were a lot of logistical issues also, but in the end everything ran smoothly.
“Obviously, the first couple weeks were overshadowed by the assembly elections, but thereafter it picked up and by the end of the tournament it was a resounding success. The focus returned to cricket and this is how we want the IPL to be. We hope the coming IPL will be a bigger hit,” he elaborated.
A year later, as the cricket-world awaits this annual sporting ritual, set to roll forth with a star-studded opening ceremony in the colossal Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, the cash-dash-flash league will seek not only a massive dose of faith-reinforcing, in that it would shed its disturbing propensity to court controversies, but also produce quality cricket, which will be an important variable, if not the only one.
Busting stereotypes
Since its inception in 2008, the IPL has been viewed as a prodigal son--pampered, spoilt, profligate and flippant.
Like most perspectives, it’s stubborn, but his annual visits are celebrated, slaughtering the proverbial “fattened calf”.
The glamour quotient is purely irresistible. “It might have a lot of drawbacks, but the plain fact is that people like it. It’s entertaining and there are international stars, high-scoring matches and A-list celebrities. So naturally, the crowd flock to see them and you hardly see empty spaces in stadiums. It has become an indispensable commodity every summer,” opined a former player. Whether the new regime seeks austere measure is to be seen. There were rumours that the newly-elected BCCI boss, Jagmohan Dalmiya, would ban cheerleaders and after-match parties. But no concrete measure has been taken on the direction, and the general consensus is that at least in this edition, they wouldn’t scrap such embellishments. “These aren’t the issues that concern the IPL now. It’s corruption like spot-fixing and betting that they are looking to address and prevent. They can’t afford another instance of spot-fixing or any other form of corruption to filter into the league. That will be disastrous. So all measured will be ensure the system is free of corruption,” said a former board functionary who was closely associated with the IPL.
Lost in the wrangle
An understated but significant snag in the runway to this edition has been that the IPL governing council is yet to be named. The new committee was to be formed during the AGM, but it wasn’t as a result of protracted power wrangle.
And apparently, Dalmiya doesn’t fancy the incumbent, Ranjib Biswal, and is hence not brooding on handing him out another tenure. Reportedly, the governing council might be formed just in time for the IPL.
Lest, the transparency of the league will again be tarnished. And like the previous regime, the making and breaking of the new brigade’s reputation will hinge on this prodigal son.
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