Mumbai: Call it a ‘setback’ or a ‘clean up’ for Indian cricket’s biggest circus, the big Indian Premier League (IPL) verdict is exemplary and the credibility of the judgement of the Supreme Court-appointed panel, headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, can not be questioned.
The verdict saw IPL teams Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) suspended for two years from the lucrative league, while team officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra sacked from all cricket activities for life. The tainted officials tarnished the sport and it only took an extraordinary punishment to bring an end to all such malpractices.
Hence, is the cash-rich tournament now a hunting ground for companies to extend their branding? What could be in store for the players, teams, owners of the teams, the governing body BCCI and most importantly, the fans who believed in the sport?
Let’s take a look:
Players
The IPL maybe months away but if the apex court upholds the committee’s verdict, then the BCCI will have no other option but hold fresh auctions to have stars like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane up for grabs.
Players’ choices
Option 1: They can skip IPL till their teams’ suspension end.
Option 2: They can be transferred to other teams.
Option 3: They can be re-auctioned.
Since these players have a huge fan base, the revenue of the league indirectly depends on their presence. As former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said, “It will be tough to imagine an Indian Premier League edition without Dhoni.”
Teams
As per the Lodha committee verdict, CSK and RR can seek legal remedies. According to sources, India Cements Ltd (owner of CSK) planned to move Supreme Court against the order of the Lodha committee based on the findings.
If a new owner does wish to buy these teams, as per law, they will have to take over with their existing liabilities. (Photo: PTI)
BCCI
Indian Premier League’s Governing Council will be meeting in Mumbai where members will discuss implications of the Lodha-panel decision, chalk out a plan and discuss the road ahead.
The IPL has 10 approved slots but has only eight playing teams and even if CSK and RR are barred from the tournament, the league can get in new teams or revive Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
The spotlight could be on Kochi, whose contract was terminated by BCCI in 2011 due to breach of conduct. Former BCCI president N Srinivasan had announced termination of KTK as they failed to provide a bank guarantee to cover the annual fee.
Read: Will Kochi Tuskers Kerala fill in for CSK, RR?
The cricketers were bought by other franchises in 2012 and the ones who remained unsold had their payments through the team’s bank guarantee from 2011.
After the Lahoti report, the BCCI had been asked to pay Rs 550 crore to the defunct IPL franchise but Kochi side wasn’t interested in the money anymore. They wanted the team to be fielded in the IPL in the next season.
If BCCI wants to evade the huge fine, they can bring Kochi back into the scheme, reducing one half of the problem pyramid.
Jagmohan Dalmiya and his troupe can then invite tender(s) to hold stakes in the other team. Reports suggest that Gautam Adani of the Adani group, Harsh Goenka of the RPG group chairman, Sajjan Jindal of JSW, Venugopal Dhoot of the Videocon group, Prasad Potluri of PVP Ventures and the Munjals of the Hero group are eyeing teams in the league.
The BCCI has to field eight teams in the upcoming league. “If there are only six teams, the whole economic model of IPL will be affected as there will be fewer matches leading to lower broadcast revenue, lower share for all teams.
The viewership with six teams will also get affected as we are talking of two very hugely popular teams which will be missing if both the teams are actually not part of IPL 9,” Tuhin Mishra, MD of Baseline, Sports Marketing company said.
Fans
For Indian cricket fans, the colour yellow and a whistle podu attached to it was a symbol of dread. With Dhoni at the wheel, with an Australian tint to it, the team crushed all hopes of other teams with two IPL crowns.
(Photo: BCCI)
If yellow stood for power, blue wasn’t far behind. Rajasthan went a step ahead – having a fling with superstars and match winners. Shane Warne pulled off a sensational win, stopped the sea of yellow in the inaugural edition of the league.
Fans must be broken, but a glimmer of hope still exists, as the enthusiasm will not fade. “It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up," CSK posted on their Facebook page.
What’s the future?
As the adage goes, ‘Nobody is above the game,’ at the end of the day, the sport will win. The situation may look messy and like a setback to the BCCI but it is only a step in the right direction. “The other IPL teams might feel the heat in the beginning. But all will depend how quickly the authorities are able to put the whole image back in order,” Mishra added.
