Life after Lalit Modi
Lalit Modi's ouster is only the first step towards cleaning up the IPL
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
Lalit Modi's ouster is only the first step towards cleaning up the IPL. Ayaz Memon writes in Hindustan Times that the Governing Council meeting holds the key to ensuring that public trust is restored in the system.
It is absurd to let the IPL collapse because of managerial impropriety, as nihilists and the lynch-mob would suggest. The biggest casualty in this sordid drama is not who will lose out to whom in national politics, financial deals or the ego battles between pompous cricket officials but public trust. The cricket lovers of India are the biggest stakeholders in the game in India, and they are anguished.
The power struggle for control of the fastest growing sports property in the world may end in a whimper or reach a higher octave today, depending on the resolve and arsenal either side possesses. But that is not now germane to the issue. It's public trust. To restore this, it is imperative that the act of cleansing is demonstrative, not merely symbolic.
Desh Gaurav Chopra Sekhri writes in the Indian Express that IPL is not the first sports league to suffer this kind of a crisis. He draws parallels from other sports like baseball and football to chalk the way forward.
Once the BCCI and the IPL 's governing council share their vision with the public as to the way forward, then one can discuss options such as a player's association, collective bargaining, or even an in dependent regulatory body or committee - the Satyam model has been recommended. Another option is a corporate structure like football's English Premier League, where the team owners are shareholders. The CEO and other key management personnel are appointed, and accountable to the public, with the aim of trying to ensure that they are independent and have no apparent conflict of interest that could taint their decision making.
In Deccan Herald, MJ Akbar explains how the scriptwriters of the IPL stretched rules and imagination so much that they forgot to give a happy ending to their fairytale.
The damage in cash terms can be calculated, but who will do the accounting of the damage to IPL’s credibility? There is cynical response: why should a circus need any credibility? Who believes a Hindi movie to be the essence of truth, and if it is the essence of truth, who watches it? But Cabinet ministers do not use their power to preside over the Hindi movie industry, or divert Air India aircraft to pick up cast and crew. The story has reached where it has because the credibility of the Union government is also at stake. Try being cynical about this.
In BBC, Southik Biswas says the latest crisis should mark the beginning of a serious effort to clean up the game in India.
Indians have become inured to - even callous about - corruption, so there is a real possibility that Mr Modi will be made the fall guy, and there will be no meaningful, demonstrable change in the running of the cricket. At the same time India is largely a reactive society - only crises and scandals sometimes lead to real reforms. IPL-Gate - as many networks are describing the row - could then actually end up cleansing and reforming the cricket board, and the game could actually emerge stronger. It is time to restore the dignity of Indian cricketers and their fans.
Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo