The 12th season of Indian Premier League begins tomorrow. After attracting some derisive attention initially on account of the glamour quotient built into it, IPL has evolved into one of the more important annual tournaments in the international cricket calendar. The dozen years of IPL’s existence have seen upheavals triggered by it. Regardless, from an economic standpoint, the tournament is now indispensable to world cricket and the T20 format often ends up subsidising the traditional Test cricket. Now that IPL and T20 have proved their worth, it’s important for administrators to heed the lessons of the last 12 years.
The biggest upheaval perhaps has been the Supreme Court’s intervention to clean up Board of Control for Cricket in India. The apex court was well-intentioned but the implementation of reforms has floundered. Experience in other walks of life, such as Indian politics, shows that administrators develop a vested interest in prolonging their stay. It’s increasingly apparent that could be the case in Indian cricket as evidenced by the public bickering between administrators. Indian cricket is no longer a largely domestic affair. Its economic mainstay, IPL, is part of a globalized cricket circuit deriving revenue from sale of media rights. The integrity of this system needs to be protected by a far more professional administrative system which is open to public scrutiny.
It’s time for the apex court to complete administrative reforms in Indian cricket before new problems surface. Economic dominance is incompatible with administrative mechanisms which have outlived their purpose
Read full story: IPL 2019, CSK vs RCB: Onus on MS Dhoni’s spinners to stop Virat Kohli & Co.
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