Dubai: The brand Indian Premier League (IPL) has surmounted many a controversy to remain as a popular tournament during six years of its existence. The latest incident of three players, including a well known name like Shantakumaran Sreesanth, for being allegedly involved in spot-fixing is another challenge before it.
Ever since this league was launched, it has been slammed for spoiling the cricketers with unheard of remunerations. It transformed even ordinary domestic cricketers to rich sportsmen while it has also been accused of tempting many top cricketers into early retirement from international cricket and questioned the commitment of many present cricketers towards their country.
The income generated by the owners to buy the teams and players have also raised eyebrows. Though rumours about IPL being influenced by bookies did surface at times, it was dismissed due to lack of evidence until on May 14 last year when India’s news channel India TV aired a sting operation which accused five players of spot-fixing. Reacting quickly to the revelation, Rajiv Shukla, the IPL president suspended T.P. Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors), Amit Yadav and Shalabh Srivastava (Kings XI Punjab) and Abhinav Bali — a Delhi cricketer.
The first signs of discord hit IPL in it’s third year. Lalit Modi, the former chairman who envisaged the event, was suspended after being accused of charges of various financial misdemeanour on April 25, 2010. Before he was sacked, the IPL even shook the Indian parliament with a minister having to quit the Union Cabinet after allegations of his involvement in Kochi Tuskers team’s entry into the league. The team’s contract was terminated by the BCCI after only a year of existence for breaching its terms of contract.
To add to the controversies, the Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan indulged in an ugly spat with Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials after his team’s win over Mumbai Indians. Khan allegedly manhandled the security and hurled abuses at them and got slapped with a five-year ban from entering the stadium.
To add to the league’s chare of woes, Royal Challengers’ Luke Pomersbach of Australia was arrested for allegedly groping an Indian-American woman after a drinking session. The IPL’s night parties too had its share of controversies and Mumbai Police busted a rave party at a hotel in Juhu involving South Africa’s Wayne Parnell and India’s Rahul Sharma, both of whom played for Pune Warriors.
A South African cheerleader Gabriella Pasqualotto, in her blog, described the cheergirls as “walking porn” and that certain cricketers are naughty.
The IPL may continue to live on carrying such controversies till the faith of the paying cricket fan is not totally shattered. The BCCI now needs to protect the IPL, which had been the goose that lays the golden eggs for them and filling their coffers.
