It's been less than a week since the Indian Premier League concluded, but more importantly, it's been over two weeks since the IPL unravelled, sending the IPL and its officials scurrying for cover. Season 6 will not be remembered for first-time champions the Mumbai Indians providing a fond farewell to Sachin Tendulkar, or for what transpired on the field of play, despite a remarkably competitive tournament this year. Season 6 will go down as one where cricket's facade crumbled. It's hardly the place any sports league would want to be, but it's no surprise, either.
Since it seems that little has been done to protect the IPL from the ills that accompany money and glamour, a situation like this was pre-ordained. What's troubling however is that not much has been done even after the situation was brought to light, and this is why the public image of cricket takes a bigger hit day after day. The only thing the rapid format league has accomplished this season, from the looks of it, is to shorten the tenure of cricket as the premier sport in India, and maybe to narrow the tenure limits for many of its stakeholders.
It may be too late to turn the tide, but even overcompensating to ensure sobriety and sanctity is something that must be enforced. The IPL fiasco has also hurt cricket's goodwill and veracity. What was once suspected in ridiculous sequences of play in key matches may now be chastised and branded as something that was negotiated off the cricket field. This is probably unfair to the league and to cricket, but the IPL and the BCCI haven't cut sympathetic figures in the aftermath, or in the side-conflicts that everyone is privy to on the great Indian debates on television. A sport is dependent on its being competitive and unscripted. If it wasn't purely dependent on skill and unscripted competition, it would merely be entertainment and none of us would care what happens, or what happens to it for that matter. So far, the IPL and cricket overall runs the risk of being seen as indifferent to the opinion of the entire country, but more importantly, of being rigid and scripted. And if there are things that are deadly for a sports league or a sport itself, then being scripted and rigid would definitely be at the top of that checklist.
It may be time for cricket to do a U-turn, and ensure that it is sincere and determined to fix things. The fiasco may have captured the nation's imagination, but the league better fix the lapses that led to any perceived compliance or ethical breakdowns. This may be easier said than done, because cricket's goodwill is fast diminishing. The league should divert the resources spent on glitz, glamour - and, indirectly, sleaze - towards compliances and processes that ensure the best interests of the sponsors, investors, affiliates, personnel, shareholders, and above all, cricket fans, are looked after and enforced. Set up stronger anti-corruption units and involve the authorities with expertise. Ensure that the player-agent accreditation and player auction isn't a sham, but in fact assists in monitoring and protecting players. Ensure that everyone's rights are set out, protected, and enforced.
While sponsors and others who are invested in the league may not have openly broken ranks and walked away, no entity will stick on if unethical activity is either proven retroactively, or continues unchecked. Not even if it's for a charitable purpose, as Nike's recent withdrawal from the Livestrong Foundation will attest. The IPL too has listed domestic and international companies that sponsor and own teams. Don't think that the image spiral will go unnoticed by them or by their shareholders.
Sooner or later, the image hit will adversely impact cricket as a career option for youngsters, who may not be inclined or allowed to play a sport with questionable antecedents. As we criticise cricket, and the images of the arrested players with black hoods is seared into our memories, one thing is clear - the IPL today is a societal and cultural blot, and society may or may not rebound from this. No one would want their kith and kin to one day run the risk of being laden with the vices of society, perhaps even handcuffed and hooded as they are paraded in front of a billion people. It's simply unpalatable and must be prevented. Even if the league has not actively done wrong, inaction and omission too can be fatal for the league. Let's hope that once the musical chairs are over the decision-makers see that as well.
The writer is a sports attorney at J Sagar Associates. These views are his own
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
