June 8, 2013
The fans have been fooled and robbed
Three second rate cricketers, two high profile franchise executives, one substandard Bollywood actor cum socialite and one dishonorable and despicable boss, monstrous and powerful are all standing in queue seeking entrance behind the iron bars of a dark cell. It should have come early, but better late than never, it has finally come and some more heads will roll as the guillotine stands waiting.
After the infamous episode of match fixing that swept the cricketing world with shame, thirteen years ago, when several high profile players and top BCCI officials were convicted for match fixing and massive corruption, the ghost has once again returned to the cash rich and overtly animated Indian Premier League.
After India emerged champions of the 2007 World Cup T-20, their bosses, the illusive BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket it India) were busy dishing out innovative ideas inorder to appeal the mad cricket crazy Indian fans and amass billions of dollars with a treacherous intent. In came, the messiah Lalit Modi, a reckless forty-something, spoilt brat, money chaser, with zero ethics, and the new Religion of Cricket by the name Indian Premier League was baptized. As is the case of every organized religion that is practiced today, exploitation, commercialization and gimmick overshadows its original facets.
They pumped millions of dollars, made mediocre cricketers look formidable, flashed colorful ads, splurged cheerleaders, donated wine and women, and left no one unsatisfied. Amidst all the glitz and glamour the cricket crazy fans were fooled and robbed in the height of masochism. A considerable suspicion has grown lately that all the six editions of IPL had been fixed or atleast planted. The rogue BCCI has had murky past, and had managed to escape each time with the blessings from scornful Political Feudalists and largely due to the naivety of mad cricket fans. But, this time, the wind was flapping in different direction, suddenly all doors were left open, leaving the goons without a place to hide. The Electronic Media played a pivotal role in questioning the mighty officials and in exposing scams and scandals with their sting operations.
Even after several cricketers, actors, bookies and top franchise officials were taken to task and put behind bars, the cricket crazy indian public barged in thousands to watch the knock out stages of the Indian Premier League. At a time, when people had a golden opportunity to resist against the deceitful BCCI by not turning up at the stadiums, thereby sending a statement, they fumbled, they lost it to their emotiveness attached to cricket and the once in a blue moon day performing million dollar cricket stars. The ultimate looser in this orchestrated madness is the crazy fan, Who has spent his precious time and energy either watching IPL at home on television and at night clubs.
The most embarrassing move in this shoddy episode was the silence of present and former cricketers, including the over hyped skipper Mahindra Singh Dhoni. No former cricketer or the present greats have the guts to clench into a fist against the fraudulent BCCI and its goons. Many reports accuse two top former cricketers and commentators Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar as the stooge and a PR to the BCCI. Just goes to show how the powerful spider’s web controls cricketing world.
Who are the BCCI? They are a gang of greed filled and inexplicitly corrupt politicians and business men. It is a vicious circle that makes decisions based on their financial interest, and cares nothing about the development of cricket in india. The sardonic control board claims to be the richest sporting body in the world! And when people like Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Faruk Abdullah refer this body as honest and clean, everybody can sense the filth and nonsense they are talking about. In addition the attitude of the people who want to oust Mr. Srinivasan, the dishonorable BCCI Chief sounds dubious at best. Why they want his head to be chopped off? What are their motives and ambitions?
The whole episode that has hit headlines over the last twenty odd days has turned out to be evermore enigmatic. What leaves us with perplexity is the question of International matches, that have been played in the past with thrill and pomp. What about the 2011 World Cup? Was it fixed or Planted? The game of cricket one’s known as the ‘Gentleman’s Game’ for its curtsy and sportsmanship, has fallen into the abyss, making it hard to reshape and revert back. Sadly, The Gentleman’s Game of the yesteryear has degraded as the Conman’s Den today.