Can we have an end to 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing case please? Every now and then, we have news popping up pertaining to this case. If it’s Gurunath Meiyappan, the ‘cricket enthusiast’ of Chennai Super Kings on one day, then it is Raj Kundra, owner of Rajasthan Royals on another day!
Very soon the focus shifts to N. Srinivasan, Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and now we have the IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman also being mentioned. Like a suspense thriller, the court has also revealed that a few players’ names are not being disclosed for the time being!
The damage the case is doing to cricket is enormous. All those named above proclaim they are not guilty. This makes one wonder whether the court is having fun! Frankly, the ordinary cricket fan is very likely to get fed up with this case. Each time the court makes an announcement, Indian television channels have a field day, airing images of Srinivasan getting into a four wheel vehicle, an year old clipping of Meiyappan being arrested, and the handsome and smiling Kundra being chased by the media.
The Indian cricket team has so far not been affected by it and is performing at their best. Fans still fill the stadiums in India, but if this continues for a long time, at some stage these fans could snap. How long should fans endure this process of tarnishing the image of Indian cricket? With Srinivasan at the helm of the ICC, even the credibility of the world cricketing body is at stake. It does not take long for any sports lover to lose faith in a game if its administrators are repeatedly mentioned in scandals.
The IPL has a huge following despite all these happenings. Sponsors are still lining up to support the event but if dirt continues to smother this event, sponsors may soon think twice before being involved with it.
Whether Srinivasan is guilty or not, the least he can do is voluntarily step down from cricket administration till he gets a clean chit. If he is not guilty, he can surely come back strongly as the man who did not hang on to power.
Despite being asked not to perform his duties as BCCI president, the board is functioning normally. Similarly, the ICC too will continue to function routinely. Considering the clout Srinivasan has in Indian cricket and India’s dominance in the ICC, he can always return to the helm. His refusal to step aside is doing more harm not only to his image, but to the game as well. For cricket’s sake, Srinivasan should give up his stubborn stance.
