The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may well be ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability. It has terminated the franchise agreements of Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals and Tom Moody’s Kings XI Punjab.
Warne the player/captain/coach and his sidekick Darren Berry may both be out of jobs. Tom Moody, who relinquished the WA coaching job, may also be out of a job.
The BCCI has terminated the agreement with the two franchises for reasons described as “transgressions of shareholding” and “ownership norms”.
This can be translated in common speak to “financial irregularities” and this in itself cloaks a multitude of sins.
To recap, earlier this year, the IPL was racked by allegations of just about every conceivable rort that businesses were capable of: insider trading, facilitation fees for TV rights, and kickbacks.
A junior parliamentary minister was forced to resign because it was alleged his girlfriend had shares in one of the new bidding franchises.
The Income Tax Directorate in India is conducting investigations into undeclared income and money laundering.
The IPL’s darling Modi is now an outcast and is in London and refuses to return to India for interrogation. He cites security fears and threats on his life if he returns.
The BCCI has meanwhile divested him of all connection with its running of cricket. There is a new Chairman of the IPL, Chirayu Amin, and he seems from the old school and has already indicated his desire to clean up the IPL.
The previous members of the IPL Governing council were reportedly paid the equivalent of $220,000 a year to govern. Shastri, Gavaskar and Pataudi, all former Indian Captains, were part of this council.
They all admitted they had taken their eye off the ball, so to speak, but in their own defense said they were only there to look at matters pertaining to cricket.
Surely when you are paid almost a quarter of a million dollars you should at least ask a few pertinent questions.
There is now doubt about the next IPL auction scheduled for November, and the fourth season of the IPL is in jeopardy.
Australian players, coaches and support staff contracted to these two franchises may have to put their mortgages on hold.
Adam Voges, Finch, Warne and Tait play for the Rajasthan Royals. Shaun Marsh, James Hopes and Brett Lee are contracted to Kings XI. Tom Moody is the coach.
Also affected are Graeme Smith, the South African Captain and Sangakkara the Lankan captain.
The IPL, which was being touted as a $4 billion business, is looking as shaky as Lehman Brothers and it is a timely reminder that all the glitters is not gold.
If in fact, this is an attempt by the BCCI to put its house in order then we must all applaud it, because in the past the BCCI has been less than pristine.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
While a premature retirement isn’t the solution, he or England want, he may be forced into it if he can’t maintain a long run of matches.
Check out some of the short-arm pull shots from Rocky Flintoff!
Harshal Patel was not a happy man!
David Lord has been remembered as an icon of Australian sports journalism following his death, aged 84. The renowned writer and broadcaster was an…
Sign the man up for a contract next season!
A brutal century by Travis Head has blasted Sunrisers Hyderabad back into the Indian Premier League play-off places in another match for bowlers to…
