Indian Tainted League

The latest controversy surrounding the IPL will impact its credibility as a professionally run sporting spectacle.

During the closing ceremony of the IPL’s first season at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, Sharad Pawar, Union agriculture minister and one of the prime architects of the cricketing version of the Russian Roulette, delivered perhaps the most insightful and closest-to-the-truth statement of his current ministerial tenure. An unusually ebullient Pawar declared, “I am extremely proud that whatever we have seen over the last 44 days is a true product of India.” Not one to be outdone at such a special occasion, Lalit Modi said the IPL was a global representation of India, and what modern-day India stood for.

Given the latest controversy surrounding the ownership of IPL’s newest team, and the war of tweets between Lalit Modi and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, it would be impossible to agree with Mr Pawar. Utter lack of transparency, covert and overt involvement of influential politicians, an unholy nexus with big money, and muddled policy regulation characterise several booming sectors for business, from mining to mobile communications. Why should cricket, which has emerged as one of the biggest consumer/media and entertainment businesses in the country, play by a different set of rules?

The uncomfortable questions thrown up in the IPL case are by now familiar. And they follow a pattern. Just as the underdog consortium of Rendezvous Sports World trumped established corporate houses such as the Adani Group and Videocon, rank outsiders have managed to walk away with lucrative airport projects, telecom licences and assorted infrastructure projects, fuelling speculation of large-scale corruption.

But l’affaire Kochi proves beyond doubt that all parties concerned, including cricket’s governing body, have plenty to hide. What provoked Modi to reveal the identity of all the shareholders of the Kochi franchise several weeks after it had won in an auction identical to the one used for the previous round of team sales? The explanation for the BCCI’s decision against Modi’s wishes to re-auction the two franchise initially won by Adani and Videocon are flimsy at best.

There are plenty of unanswered questions about the ownership patterns of several teams not owned by a single corporate entity. For instance, there’s speculation that several team captains have been offered sweat equity. Modi’s assertion that the ownership of all teams bar Kochi is public knowledge is fairly suspect. Was Modi trying to salvage the situation for friends who had lost out under fairly dubious circumstances?

Tharoor’s actions and statements are even more intriguing. After initially denying any involvement with the Kochi franchise, in a nine-point rejoinder to Modi’s allegations, the minister says, ‘They [Rendezvous] approached me for help and guidance. I steered them towards Kerala. Rendezvous includes a number of people, including many I have never met, and Sunanda Pushkar, whom I know well.’ Mr Minister, why would someone occupying a high constitutional office stick his neck out and lobby for a bunch of people whose antecedents he has no clue of? It’s even greater embarrassment given the fact that bringing probity in public life and professionalism to politics were vital parts of his election campaign. Also, even if you didn’t wish to delve deeper into the personal relationship between Tharoor and his friend Pushkar, it is perfectly reasonable to ask how she managed to pocket a stake in the franchise worth roughly Rs 70 crore.

With Parliament starting this week, and the Government hard-pressed for answers to several issues of national importance such as internal security and the Naxal threat, Tharoor’s actions are an unnecessary distraction, and even a PR disaster. Not surprisingly, he has found no support from his own party. Meanwhile, Modi’s tweets appear just to be the tip of the iceberg. The opaque business of IPL is fast turning into a loose baggy monster. Even as the Prime Minister says he’ll decide on Tharoor’s future after “examining” facts, a new allegation seems to pop up every hour from various quarters.

Political ramifications aside, the controversies are bound to impact the credibility of the IPL as a professionally run, competitive sporting spectacle.

If the IPL were to implode under the weight of the mess it has created for itself, would it be poetic justice?

cricketIPLLalit ModiShashi Tharoor