Is the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the verge of being destroyed? This league, which started off with a bang, is in danger due to mismanagement.
The reports emerging from India on IPL are very destructive. The IPL is not a tournament for the Indians. It has a global appeal with matches being followed even in places like Canada, America and West Indies.
It is the responsibility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to protect its reputation and integrity. If the world comes to realise that it was nothing but a fake, then all the reputation it had created over the years may crash in a moment.
It is the duty of not only the BCCI but also the government to protect this league. It has generated huge money and many have earned a comfortable living out of it.
If a cricket administrator has misused his powers, the BCCI should have immediately acted in a mature manner. The need of the hour is a mature approach from everyone involved with the event. On the other hand, if this tournament is being used to satisfy their bruised egos, then cricket will be the causality.
It is a time when BCCI members should stand united and not accuse each other. It is a fact that Lalit Modi, the chairman and commissioner of the IPL, broke the rules and acted in an arrogant manner in the Kochi issue. He should have been quickly reminded of the mistakes he committed and action taken against him. The BCCI's inaction has now lead to speculations that they are a divided house in this issue.
Sharad Pawar's weakness towards Modi, and BCCI president Shashank Manohar and Secretary N. Srinivasan's displeasure over it, is now the talk in cricket circles.
Like the government acted quickly on Shashi Tharoor, the BCCI too should have called an urgent meeting and sorted out this issue. Any wrong act kept idle without any action can lead to speculations and ultimately do more harm than good.
The image of the IPL is at stake and it is the duty of everyone, including the government, to protect it. Wrong moves at this stage by the BCCI can result in this tournament being talked about as an event which got destroyed due to the greed, immaturity and ego. If divided they stand, united they may fall.
