Ashok, have always enjoyed your columns in The Pioneer, even if I do not always agree with your opinions. This has to be one of the most incisive and knowledgeable articles on the IPL. Ordinary people such as I have been disgusted by the kind of idiocy the IPL has been creating. I expect a total flop show after the initial hype gets over. All those who have paid big money will cry all the way to the bank.

Frankly, the IPL is nothing but a farcical tournament whose only objective was to prevent players from defecting to the ICL. Three things went into the planning behind setting the IPL up - haste, haste and more haste. The results are clear for all to see. Teething problems continue to exist even on the eve of the inaugral tournament - kitschy bulky contracts, unpaid players, media restriction issues, disgruntled local umpires, etc etc. While the IPL continues to trip over self inflicted problems, the ICL withstood the torrent of headaches thrown at it by the BCCI and has relatively smoothly conducted three tournaments.

If this farce fails to garner fan support, one feels it'll bite the dust in no time. Who knows, it might be the ICL that ends up gaining from all this.

Bloody bitter and cantenkorous is the tone .....quite a bit like BS Bedi generally sounds...of sour grapes.

So Modi is making money and raking control and showing a middle finger to those who he percives not on his side.

Now get on his side or sit out of the mega-IPL show.....or keep suckking sour grapes

The whole point of the IPL is greed... simple and to say otherwise is treating the cricket punter as a moron. What you are describing in your article is a MAFIA or ORGANISED CRIME RING. Is this where BCCI have taken cricket in India????

The end of cricket as we know it started when they moved the ICC from Londan to Dubai, again about money. The UK govt't caused this when they refused the tax concessions to ICC. Now we have business running cricket and when these administrators get up and tell us they love cricket is again treating us as morons. They love money and they are paid to commercialise the sport. Fine we understand this but don' patronise us with your passages of undying love for the game.

Cricket is Tests for the true punter. Pyjama and now the hit & giggle T20 is not a place to blood your test players. Again to pass off the IPL as breeding grounds is treating us as moron's again.

So BCCI get up and tell the truth, and that is BCCI want your money at any cost?Shame

does not india have federal laws preventing collusion??? or insider trading??? this would not be allowed in most western countries its illegal and if its not breaking the law then india need to update its laws to keep up with the county's fast development otherwise it wont just be cricket and TV affected!!! competition is essential in any form of market place, otherwise consumers loose out big time!!!

Ashok,
This an excellent and a very sharp explanation of the circus called IPL. I believe more wide spread discussion and publication of similar views is necessary before cricket as a sport looses its values which true fans have cherished for over a 100 years. IPL is sticking out as a sore and a rather parasitic example of crude (lacking in transparency and principles) capitalism taking its root in MODERN India.

Cant agree more with the article.

I am really surprised with the amount of arm-twisting being done by IPL , just on the basis of money , without anything to show regarding the fan support.

I am really amazed at the amount of money being spent on the tournament with millions of dollar(!!)being splashed on individual for a month (actually 4-5 matches) of play.

Somewhere the whole economics is getting faulty. I am seeing so much expense, but not of avenues for revenues.

I dont foresee lot of folks going to watch and cheers for lets say ponting for Kolkatta against symonds for Hyderabad!!.

I dont expect these matches achieving high TRP ratings beyond 2-3 days of public interest.

I would be glad if BCCI with its gangs of incompetent Pawars and Modi get a shocker here.

IPL IS THE END OF TRUE CRICKET TEST CRICKET

Great article but it is unrealistic to expect the BCCI to play it absolutely fair. What interests me more is Malcolm Speed's feelers on recognizing the ICL. If that happens, then suddenly broadcasters, the press and the players will be in a position of strength and Mr.Modi will have to climb down from his high horse.

Sport does not make money. The figures and finance makes me think that this will be lucky to make it past 3 seasons before investors start pulling out.

Even the worlds best football teams in Europe, lose money. They are forced to pay up big for players to make a competetive side, they then rely on money coming in from gate takings and sponsorships which do not always cover the costs, the teams in europe rely on making the UEFA cup and champions league as well as merchandising worldwide for that special pay day and quite frankly no-one outside india seems to care about the IPL and there is no European cup

Andrew: Sport does not make money. The figures and finance makes me think that this will be lucky to make it past 3 seasons before investors start pulling out.

But this is India, mate. You would have to see the crowds on day 3 of a Test in Kanpur played in oppressive heat to understand the craze for cricket in this country. Add to that the gargantuan numbers (1 billion people) and you already have a winning formula.

Have been following modi's actions for quite a while now ever since the new bcci regime took over. its all money. he wants to make money out of everything. IPL was designed to kill ICL, but i am sure it would not. ICL was a hit, in fact a huge hit. It was about cricket not money, but IPL is only and only for money. I forsee watching ads with 3 min break for cricket!

For all the good reasons, Modi should be controlled.

Why is BCCI able to operate without any corporate governance in place? Since it declared itself an autonomous body not under the purview of an govt department, it has to be deemed as a corporate. The moment corporate governance and professional auditing takes places, obnoxious self-serving mafia such as Lalit Modi would have no option but to either fall in line or to exit.

The BCCI is a sports mafia body. There is urgent need to bring it under scrutiny.

This guy Modi should be really controlled. He is spoiling this cricket loving country by patronizing a culture where only the rich and powerful can get more rich and more powerful. Being a democratic country the government should step into and control the reigns of BCCI. On another note ICL should be also allowed equal privilege if this 20-20 madness is encouraged by the government.
People of our country should realize the dubious intention of Modi and his clan. It is time we have some good and interesting cricket based on the precepts when cricket was since the colonial period. It should be allowed to continue as a gentleman's game and not controlled by Mafia's like Modi et al.

Excellent article Ashok. The BCCI (how many other national boards make a point of retaining the term "Control" in their name?) have been blessed with the largest market, and have employed means to maximize their profits from this market via this nexus of political thugs and corporate barons.

Unfortunately, the only way I see the IPL failing would be if a corruption inquiry or monopolistic investigation. I have the utmost confidence that Modi has ensured this cannot happen in the near future.

Honestly can Gavaskar sink any lower? Being on the governing body of a league that has taken every attempt to destroy the cricketing career of his own son?

In these days of wireless internet access, what is stopping a spectator from uploading comments about an ongoing match to his blog? One does not require a specialized media room to do that.

Unless of course there is a clause on the back of the ticket that specifically prohibits such activity by spectators. If Modi has not already figured out that angle, he sure will in a few days.

AS IF I CARE
GO CHARGERS!!!!
Trivia : Whats common between ICL 2008 & IPL 2008
Answer: THE CHAMPS - HYDERABAD

good article, highlights a lot of things not thought of by the common man. but lets face it, after india won the twenty20 there was bound to be a new frenzy. it was possible cuz of the players themselves! they deserve the money, and they will make even more money cuz of the times they are living in.

my uncle is an ex ranji trophy player from Mumbai, and till today he receives a pension from the BCCI. feels good that the BCCI does care, and moreover are not relaint on the ICC for providing funds! good luck IPL!

Ashok,

Some very valid points. And this is not too different from what a lot of journalists have been writing about the IPL. The sad thing here is that there seems to be a bigger monopoly of the event than there usually is in a tournament involving the Indian cricket team. The BCCI has played its cards very smartly but for lack of hindsight(or greed), they've lost the long term vision that was initially promised.

It is true that IPL has generated enough income for anybody even remotely associated with the business/non-business side of the game. But we cant ignore the fact that a tiny group of people still control its destiny which to some extent hinges on how much interest it generates. Sadly enough, the public has no role to play but support it blindly. I sincerely believe that the BCCI is more corrupt than any political party in the world. But I also realize that like any bollywood blockbuster in India, this event's success is insured by the mere presence of superstars in it.

Much before the IPL tournaments were to start, the arrogance of those who run the BCCI was on display, only to be balanced by the diplomacy of the political counterweight of the organization, Sharad Pawar. It seems they let the upstartish Lalit Modi operate like a loose cannon and most often shoot themselves on the foot, before Pawar exercises his diplomatic prowess. Their attitude to ICL has been churlish, and the most recent high handedness displayed by their media relations, makes one wonder who this puerile wizard is.

The cricket loving public has to send a strong message to the Pawar gang by ignoring the crassly commercial IPL series- even boycotting it.

IPL may have it's hitches, but I personally feel this is one of the best things to happen to Indian Cricket! Lalit Modi is a shrewd business man no doubt, but I think he has created an opportunity for young Indian players to perform on the international stage when there are obstacles preventing them from playing in the national side. I really look forward to this new format of cricket!!!!

We've seen this all before with other sports in North America. Most of the "rogue" leagues with their over-hyped "special attractions" and "star" players rarely survive more than a year or two and eventually die out as soon as the hoped-for wealth fails to materalise. I suspect the IPL will go the same way as other ill-conceived and self-promoting aberations.

IPL came into existence partly because of ICL and partly to make money. Both are legitimate endeavours if one wants to promote cricket but the way IPL/BCCI big dogs have behaved so far is nothing but to satisfy the second part of their endeavour i.e. make as much money as possible and don't share it with anyone else. This is a recipe for disaster.

For IPL to have a broad appeal, it needs to generate some interest among cricket fans in other cricket playing countries. So far, no one outside of India cares much about it other then the players who are obviously attracted by the money. Furthermore, BCCI/Modi's actions to cast out ICL and the media as untouchables does not fare well for a startup organization.

Good Article. But, It seems the show will go on. And be successful as well. Take the money out of focus and the games will be interesting enough to generate interest, there are big names playing after all. So I do not see any problem with the television viewership. But there is a big hole in the economics the entire thing.

The franchises don't make money and every one takes a pay cut in the subsequent seasons. You only have to make more money than the next best option you have, you don't need to set a record. So as long as this is true the show will go on. But surely they will shed some flab.

But I agree on the transparency and conflict of interest part as it will make some dirty money for some. I think BCCI needs ISO Cerification

The media blocking was a masterstroke. Now every media person is talking only about IPL blocking their rights. There is nothing like bad publicity! Perhaps it is good to wear BCCI's glasses once in a while. This is an absolutely brilliant marketing strategy. I am not commenting about right or wrong. Do you think each of the journalists would have given so much air time to IPL without this stunt.

Guys get real - they needed a controversy and got what they wanted and they hit the unsuspecting journalists. ICL was a hit not only because of decent cricket but also they created a three hour entertainment for people... i.e time probably spent watching a movie. ICL got its match timing and pricing perfect and they got lot of support from the viewers (at the ground and TV).

IPL definitely has the star power. However, I wonder if IPL is screwing up on the timing and ticket prices or even if that also proves to be perfect ... time will tell.

Excellent article, there is a whistle blow now about 'inside trading' and truth is gonna come out soon because Mr Modi just axed his own foot by angering THE MEDIA . anyways one thing is for sure ' the sound of Modi's fall will be much more louder than that of Dalmiya' . This is more intresting than Cricket , probably this is what Modi meant when he said that IPL wil give 'Ekta Kapoor' a run for her money.

Very good article. It is just so appalling to see the greedy, atrocious, and very audacious schemes of BCCI being accepted just because we have people who happen too like cricket like crazy. It would be a sad day for some of the fans like me, if IPL would be a success, especially with the current structure.

I think the media, and more importantly the people, fans, and audience should respond to the arrogance and show the IPL people who they really are -- greedy, money-minded and corrupt politicians.

IPL is a farce. It has been conceived to help BCCI and its members make money in the name of cricket. I am ashamed about the concept of bidding for players where you put a player's soul on an auction table akin to the erstwhile sale of slaves. I am suprised with the restriction on "website" media. Remember it is the internet and websites which have taken cricket to countries where matches are not beamed on TVs.

I feel ICL is better since it is atleast working for the upliftment of our domestic cricketers who have been struggling with the lack of infrastructure to develop their game. The BCCI has not done anything to help improve the standards of the game. The BCCI believes in the "yes men" concept and has successfully sidelined all its detractors in the past which has led to cricketing icons like Kapil Dev look out for greener pastures.

BCCI should be run by people who have played cricket atleast at a domestic level.

BCCI brings more shame than fame to cricket. It's all about money by the end of the day! even shah rukh khan could not resist the temptation of making money on a hockey movie, flip side and moved to cricket, in a flash! there are no ethics but drool over money. God save India...cricket torch will survive because some ethical countries like S. Africa, unlike Australia will keep it going.

Good article Ashok:

I see the "jealousy" Indians are out in force as evidenced by anu_D's comment that claimed that Ashok was eating sour grapes. That's a laugh. Apparently, anyone who criticizes anything Indian is eating sour grapes. So if Bill Gates says that India is a third world country that needs help from his foundation, does that mean Bill Gates is eating sour grapes because he refers to India as a third world country? People like anu_D ignore the facts put forward by Ashok and instead spin it as "jealousy" or "sour grapes" or whatever else Indians like to call it.

I believe the next accusation to come out will be the "hypocrisy" accusation; which is another popular defense mechanism employed by Indians when criticized. The Board of Control for Cricket in India is rubbish and so is their business sense or lack of it. Anyone with half a brain would tell you that you need to curry favour with the media to get the word out to the fans. Instead, Lalit Modi has enraged the media.

It is only the internet or do I dare say Cricinfo reading public which is so vehemently against IPL's behaviour. I, of course being completely against IPL am astonished by the amount of support it gets among the other public. So no matter, what it does, even if it loses a small proportion of its audience (people like us), the IPL is still gonna be a huge hit. Of course, if the media decides to boycott IPL, then it could be a different story, but I rather doubt it will.

The IPL website is at www.iplt20.com. Modi has registerd another one IPLtwenty20.com. Both have nothing on it. So much for a company going IPO. Who are the bankers taking this retarded company public. The Guy is shooting from the rear. This is not his fathers Jagir. Unfortunately in India all these high handed things work. The moronic public will lap up SRK and Zinta's dances. I wish the public were more involved in the process instead of being mere spectators.

Indian cricket can be best described as a tribal clan with the tribal chief calling all the shots. The media has turned out to be sucker in all this. They deserve all of this as well. Instead of reporting news, they stick to one topic and harp on it the whole day, be it bollywood or cricket.

Andrew: "quite frankly no-one outside india seems to care about the IPL and there is no European cup".

Dude, wat makes u to think we r worried abt u or england... we hav 1.2 billion viewers here, 80% of world cricket money is here and even after that, if we want broadcasters from outside world, they is more than enough interest - not really to serve u, but for scores of Indians living abroad in all parts of the world. Wen we say overseas market, we mean Indians living outside India...

I know for sure, with the launch of IPL, the exploitation of the spectators begins. I doubt, people will love to see these matches for a long time. Sooner or later the interest will dwindled away as it is said that too much of anything is bad not only for the game, but also the organization. IPL and its bosses have already proved who the boss is in Cricket. Hope people have choice to watch games on TV other than only Cricket!

So much hype for IPL. Good insight by Ashok.

I hope common sense prevails and IPL/BCCI take proper decisions regarding the media rights rather than being overtly greedy.

I am really not convinced whether this IPL will generate the type of interest that is made out to be no matter how much money you throw into the event.

Madan, it’s different when crowds are filling grounds on test match days because national fervour and support for your country is making it all happen. That is the single most important factor missing here in IPL.

Rauf in fact makes a good point that no one outside India really cares. Unless a national side is playing another national side no one will care even in India. All that is left now is the curiosity factor. When the world champions played a single so called test against the world X1, it was almost a non-event. IPL is gong the same way by making hotchpotch of city elevens with international stars but will fail to create national passion.

Kapil Dev infact has got better foresight as now he is talking about having an England X1, Australia X1 and SA X1 after having seen interest generated as a result of having a de facto Pak X1.

Philip John Joseph

Interesting observation.

Most commentators predict the IPL will be a flop show and I agree. I believe the Indian public is being "overfed" Twenty20 cricket because of ICL and now this IPL.

I suspect when other Test nations see their players curtailing their playing life to partake of IPL/ICL, there will be several other national leagues founded, and THAT will determine market forces. If Stanford manages to fire excitement in a rival EPL, then media interest (any sport's lifeblood) will shift away from the BCCI. And let's face it, most of the income is TV rights. Attendance for a match might be say 15-20000, on a good day(after the hype has died down, you can compare it to current football leagues), but TV/internet viewing will be many times that .

Personally, I think it is apparent that the IPL teams have overextended themselves in an attempt to appear better than they are, and will soon feel the pinch when revenue streams dry up. And like any "bubble" economy, someone will soon go "POP!!"

chill guys...even ICL is thr for making money...all this talk of serving 'real' cricket is never discussed in their boardrooms..but they obviously discuss profit. BUT, an underdog fighting hard is alws liked by people. So well done ICL. Keep fighting and who knows slowly n steadily you may emerge triumphant.

This IPL thing also tryin to have its own poundaa flesh thr and I think in indian market there is a room for everyone. Not long ago we saw cola giants fighting or telecom giants making obscene fights.

But indian public has this uncanny knath of choosin things out. So even when they wud laugh at the concept or mock it, they may go out n enjoy in the stadia along wid their groups( who knows juss to boo players n have a blast of time seeing gals!..very much like college fests).

Wid so much population around and matches being organised in big cities,smaller town ppl may schedule their next visit to nearest metro on an IPL match day. just watch out guys...failure or success who cares!

@Awas

There was a Twenty20 corporate tournament at the DY Patil stadium in suburban Mumbai and 30k people flocked to see Viru tearing the bowlers apart. If it is well-publicised, people will come to watch ANY cricket match involving Indian stars in this country. Moreover, the timing and duration of these IPL matches is also convenient, you don't have to skip work to watch a match at 8 in the night after all. If you want more proof, just check out the Hyderabad Heroes v/s Chennai Superstars S/F in ICL, the stadium was packed, no question of nationality and no Indian stars either. I am not too sure if IPL's success is a good thing for cricket, but objectively I don't see pulling the crowds as a problem. You might ask why people didn't go to see Deodhar Trophy matches which had Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Gambhir but the answer is that there was no real effort to promote these matches in a big way and moreover, they weren't D/N matches I believe.

if stupid boring games like golf can survive for so long jus becoz it is stereotyped as a game for rich by rich... y cant IPL survive with the money thrown in?

BTW, i hate BCCI officials for not being seriously interested in developing infrastructure at grassroots level BUT the way they r kicking the a$$es of aus & eng is gud for the game... this idiots hav to understand its not colonial rule still...

Someone talked about insider trading and collusion. I think its a bit late to talk about that. BCCI continues its monopoly and though there is a monopoly regulation committee in India, so far we're yet to hear anything from it. I don't think it will go far, given just how much importance/power politicians have. I do know that despite the big economic bang, the more I read about business practices in India, the less I want to return home. BCCI/IPL/ICL fiasco probably shows Indian business world in its worst light.

Ya cellinis, even if Indian economy is doing great, the story is still the same, for doing business in India u still need politicians or powerful industrialists support/backing... i dont see it changing a bit in near future...

By the way, Ashok, just a day after your tirade, the IPL website is set to launch. I wonder if Mr.Modi broke into a sweat on reading this article and decided to clear the air. We still don't know how and why this Canadian company was singled out and it may well be some NRI benefactor of Modi running the show. 10 years...that's pretty optimistic, especially when King Kong, oops, Khan is already feeling insecure before any match has been played.

lalit modi...who???

Most of the sports Leagues in west are considered as entertainers and they are mostly exempt from monopoly and anti competitive act.This is true in America and Europe. So please don't kid yourselves by saying this won't happen in west and don't spread half truth and lies. NBA, NFL,NHL and MLB are generally exempted by congress and are allowed to practice their trade in very restrictive manner. So this won't happen in the west argument is fundamentally flawed. IPl which just started only months ago needs time to establish a constitution and form a framework to conduct his operations.

IPL will succeed for one simple reason because it is hated by English and Australian media and some jealous indians pick up their cue from their masters and jump on the same anti IPL bandwagon to satisfy their anglo saxan masters. This type of cricticism is only good for IPL and its sure to succeed. It's not easy to replicate IPL by another person or country because billion fans don't exist anywhere else

Christ!! Just listen to yourselves....India is not racist!! Media, Anglo "Saxan" Masters what a laugh.

Who invented Twenty20? You'd think it was BCCI and so they try to snub out the ICL.

IPL needs a good kick in the teeth for being so up its own self. BUT if the public are happy to pay good luck to them, just let the ICL compete as well.

Why not have an IPL/ICL "Superbowl"?? No doubt the BCCI will insist that the "Champions League" of twenty20 is their idea too.

Stanford and the West Indian AllStars should be welcomed in UK with open arms!!

BCCI should not ban players or insist other Boards do for playing in ICL that is the most crass and discriminating act. Players should be allowed to ply their trade without anti-competitive barriers to trade. But I suppose we are still dealing with a Country thats bureaucracy, bribes and blackmail still date back to its Moghul origins.

@Flash Ash: There is no doubt that the BCCI's handling of ICL is absolutely despicable. But I have a question for you: why didn't the ECB and CA rally the smaller boards around them and boycott the BCCI? We have been reading English and Australian writers calling for a boycott of BCCI to "save cricket", but we haven't seen any of it so far.

Although BCCI is the richest board, they need international fixtures and international stars to rake it in, so a boycott would have worked. It's not to hard to conclude that probably the other boards are going to extract their pound of flesh from the IPL riches in return for banning players like Shane Bond.

Mass murder cannot be committed by a single pair of hands, everybody has blood on their hands now. I hope Bond or whoever goes to court wins because that is the only hope of sorting this mess.

im just sad that it has come to this...very americanized. the spirit of cricket, whtever tht is, wont linger around for too long. money can do weird things when its in the profit driven investor.

There is nothing wrong in BCCI's handling of ICL,that is how every major sports league operates in this world. If you are contracted to play for NFL or NBA you cannot play in other leagues unless it is recognized by NFL or NBA.Last year NFL asked Pacman jones not to participate in World Wrestling Entertainment games if he wants his suspension to be revoked for this year because of his bad behavior. NFL and WWE are not even remotely similar sports, the reason why NFL stopped Adam Pacman jones from appearing in WWE could be different but still it was able to practice its trade restrictively.

If the English and Australian cricket board want to boycott BCCI they are free to do it. ICC has been racist right from the beginning ,the perfect example is only Indian Board member has been able to occupy the top position in ICC in last twenty years is dalmia, eventhough ICC and most major cricketing boards exist because of the generosity of Indian Fans, BCCI and Indian corporate houses

@venkat: I'm not sure if you've had some bad experiences but you sound bitter. You've decided that anyone who doesn't agree with the BCCI is either English, Australian or a pandering slave to the above mentioned two. The world isn't black or white, might do you good to appreciate the different shades of grey.

A few things:
1) Sports and Entertainment are different, look it up
2) The BCCI is a private club consortium governing cricket in India. It has no jurisdiction over players from other countries taking part in leagues outside its purview.
3) At the end of the day, Pacman Jones did end up appearing for TNA and this has not affected his revocation. Compare this to the BCCI revoking Kapil Dev's pension.
4) The NFL or NBA doing it doesn't make it right. If you think the BCCI has done nothing wrong you are either naive or a sycophant.
5) English and Australian cricket have existed for over 100yrs without this generosity, they might grow richer, but they will not cease to exist.

Madan

We all know why there is no boycott of BCCI!! Because they have Zimbabwe in their pocket and for some reason South Africa continue to support Zimbabwe the irony is immense!!

I suppose it is going to have come down to us dirty old colonials (And finally some spirited Tanzanians!!) to bring Zimbabwe to book.

The ICC has failed in its morale stance, how is it we can all revolt against apartheid but somehow whatever happens in Zimbabwe is acceptable to many of those governing boards in ICC the major one being BCCI who calls upon Zimbabwe support to vanquish the old colonials!!

Long Live ICL and good luck to Stanford and EPL!!

IPL == XFL

@Venkat: Banning ICL players from IPL is absolutely fine, even ICL has a similar restrictive clause. But there is no need to stop them from playing international cricket because ICL does not compete or affect international cricket fixtures in anyway, except if you ask IPL cronies. I was also not calling for an England or Australian boycott, I was only pointing out that none of the boards have shown any principles in the handling of ICL because everyone wants to feast on the IPL pie.

'Honestly can Gavaskar sink any lower? Being on the governing body of a league that has taken every attempt to destroy the cricketing career of his own son?'

Completely agree with you there mate. And as for BCCI and Lalit Modi. What goes around comes around. Its just a question of when....

@FlashAsh: I honestly don't think any of the major boards really care about Zimbabwe, they ought to but they are wallowing in blissful apathy. The real reason Eng and Aus aren't attacking BCCI directly yet is that none of BCCI's actions have significantly affected them. Only those Aus players who had given up hopes of getting a recall ever again went to the ICL.

Sure, a poll has said Aus players would value an IPL slot over the baggy green, but CA has responded with the proposal of a league of its own. That sums up the state of the ICC, everybody is busy looking after their self-interest and the rest can go to hell.

I have to say though that while I don't approve of BCCI's handling of ICL, I don't see ICL as altruistic either. ICL was announced right after India's WC debacle to cash in on the opportunity as the players faced the public's wrath. That opp disappeared once India won the T20 Cup.

ICL has done fairly well 2nd time around but it's not what it was meant to be.

venkat:

You must be yet another ignorant Indian who pretends to know how the West works. Are you so ignorant as to think that the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB are exempt from anti-trust regulation? What's so special about sports? If you knew anything about American sports, you would know it's history is littered with examples of SUCCESSFUL anti-trust lawsuits.

Just to school you in this regard, the NFL was only allowed to merge with the AFL after they secured a special ONE-TIME ONLY exemption to anti-trust policy from CONGRESS. To this day, American players' associations consider anti-trust laws to be the founding basis of any lawsuits they might file against owners who lock-out AND hire "scrubs", outside the players' union, as replacements.

Before you start making ignorant assumptions about the West, try to read some basic relevant history; and, if possible, avoid posting in forums where people know more than you and won't be fooled by your nonsense.

Philip
It's not me who is ignorant. I said NFL and MLB are mostly exempt from anti trust laws and not every law which covers it. One of the restrictive practice by NFL is any Media broadcasting NFL game cannot broadcast anyother rival football league.

Generally NFL, NBA and NHL are far more restrictive than IPL. If you know, NFL last year banned the word SuperBowl from being advertised commercially.

Madan
ICL is not recognised by cricket boards. So if you play in a unrecognized league the cricket board have the right to ban players. But the best thing would be institute a wait in period instead of totally banning them. If you are contracted by ICL you should take a six month wait in period before you can be contracted by National cricket boards.

Philip
I wil give you another example how NFL contracts are very restrictive. Some of the contract prohibit NFL players from driving a motorbike. This contract is placed to protect NFL monetary interest not out of concern for Players well being

guys..we've been gud enuf to raise many subtle aspects in this discussion, but in the process the real question about ethics has got blurred. Sunny and Shastri have no business sitting on IPL board and the example of election commissioner sums it all. No amount of parallel examples from NFL or any damn XYZ league can alter this truth.

In my earlier post too I suggested to treat ICL totally different from IPL and letting it to be decided by the indian fans and market forces.

Yaa,thr r problems for ICL & its foolish to think that they will survive on sheer negativity of BCCI. The last thing ICL shud do is pose as martyrs, becoz people are sick of martyrs. Martyrs make people feel guilt about themselves.

The harsh treatment meted out to websites, including cricinfo, is a bit too ironical. We normal fans on streets came to know about david husseys and luke ronchis of this world from this site only. Even those who bid for them in the 'grand' auction wudv'e consulted cricinfo database!

I'm pretty disappointed by the comments to this article. For one, kudos for a well written article. Yes, I definitely believe that the IPL is a good thing for cricket. It's good that cricketers get paid for the hard work they put in.

I also sincerely hope that the IPL will eventually come to replace the incredibly inefficient and terribly mismanaged state system with private franchises doing everything from recognising talent to training to running academies, fielding junior teams and being responsible for raising the next generation of cricketers in India.

They have the finances and the incentives to help the game all around the country. As you pointed out though, the money incentive does need regulation (to prevent things like what you mentioned + money causing abberations in National Selection) so yes, I agree that an outsider should run the show.

But thank you for being sensible and not stupidly proclaiming 'the death of real cricket' or any of that nonsense I keep hearing.

IPL started. Till now it has been a success. If the organizers for their selfish needs will create a mess,then in a few years time the IPL will be nowhere just like the problem with the media. Luckily it was sorted out.

On the contrary the ICL league has handled things better even though it has not found much success. But compared to last year this year the things have been more better. I sincerely hope that ICL should get more success in coming days

Venkat, the thing is even BCCI is just an autonomous cricket body in whose functioning the public has no say. This is so as per its own bye-laws, so they have no right to ban Indian domestic players joining the ICL. They can of course simply choose to exclude them from selection and nothing can done about that.

That's why it is interesting to see how the ICC will respond to ICL's request for recognition, as Speed himself said, there's more to it than is apparent. Once ICL is recognized, NZ for instance would want Vincent and Bond back for international fixtures and might choose to turn a deaf ear to BCCI.

Malik's argument against Gavaskar and Ravishastri being appointed as BCCI inhouse commentators is valid and hyperbolic. Let's not kid ourselves thinking that BCCI and IPl are two different bodies they are one and the same.

The analogy of Election Comissioner and election news is absurd and foolish. Election Commissioner is government employee and election commentator is a private employee and both work for two different entities. This is not the case with being a BCCI Committee member and holding the job of BCCI inhouse commentators because BCCI is a private enterprise and both the jobs require allegiance to the same entity.

Only when a person holds two different jobs which requires allegiance to two different entities there is a conflict of interest and ethics issue. Even in this case there is a precedence in Mark taylor who is member of the australian cricket board and a commentator of channel Nine, but no one questions this because i see only differnce which is better untold

[Ashok responds ... Sorry, you are missing the point. Mark Taylor may be a member of the Australian Cricket Board but the Cricket Board does not also own Channel Nine or choose its commentators and pay them a fee. There is a definite conflict of interest in case of a regulator financially benefiting from a phenomenon that he or she is supposed to be regulating.]

yaa..election commisioner is a guv employee..thanx for the info man!

in the heck of critisizin ppl we shud not miss the point tht here is no guv involved..so in this case BCCI is the guv, n BCCI onli has picked sunny n shastri on IPL board and in-house commentator..so thr's an obvious conflict.

on the other hand..if talking insipid is the norm..may i ask how IPL and BCCI r the same??? Ask Sharad Pawar..he says NO.

IPL has started and goin gr8 guns..n as i said earlier, in Indian market there is a room for everyone..so enjoi the game and the fest type fun it brings :)

talking abt ICL..Don't be diminished by IPL's success..put in more efforts..go back to the villages..unearth some awesome 17 year old fast bowlig terror.Brett lees won't come ur way..create ur own niche n own stars..maybe some sachin or some dhonis r craving for care n recognition.If u can get even 10 of such fresh talents..public n media will decidedly want to c a clash between the 2 leagues..thus ending the ban!

I think both ICL and IPL are doing gr8 jobs, no comparisions becos both r here to make money...

I dont think there should be any hue and cry over selling and buying players and bringing corporate into cricket... i think with booming economy corporate will be the driving force for everything from health to sports...

its sorry to see some people from abroad criticizing IPL/ICL , i think they should look in their own sleeves first NBA, soccer leagues , all these are about money....
I think we must come over communist approach , n be practical, some guys are making money... dont feel jealous ....