Hyderabad: Long back, when the whole fixing saga unfolded, we, as cricket fans were shell shocked. We hadn’t even realised that the sport we considered so sacrosanct had its own vices; vices that threatened to consume its spirit and soul. Slowly, it began sinking in.
The ones we adored as our idols were the ones who gave it away. It was rooted far deeper than we ever imagined. One name after the other kept tumbling out. The Indian Premier League had crossed the hardline. It was time to punish the cricket’s errant child.
It has been rather disturbing that two names — Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings — always featured whenever there was some revelation about how fast fixing was spreading its claws around.
Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila were the first few names that popped up when this can of worms opened. Then, the focus turned towards ‘enthusiast’ Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra. And then, they got nailed. And then, the IPL was doomed.
Apart from that, Lalit Modi’s explosive revelations that named CSK players Suresh Raina, Bravo and Jadeja also brought CSK right back into the unwanted limelight.
The BCCI is now running from pillar to post to ensure that despite the axe falling on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years, the Indian Premier League remains an eight-team affair. But the question here really is, why the focus on making it function rather than revamping it altogether?
Perhaps now is the time to take stock and switch to plan B. The Indian Premier League is an exciting prospect, most definitely, but there should be some focus on cleaning up the mess than brushing it under the carpet.
I guess we are already on the way.
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