This premiere show loses box-office value

This Supreme verdict is just the beginning. More skeletons are expected to tumble out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) closet. Former Chief Justice of India Rajendra Mal Lodha has cracked the whip real hard by suspending the owners of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for two years. Furthermore, life bans were imposed on CSK and RR administrators.

Is this enough? No way. The punishment is not in tune with the crime. People are baying for former BCCI chief N Srinivasan's blood. They want action against him for lying to the apex court about his son-in-law's role and appearance in the team's affairs and dug outs. It is a shame, that it has taken the Supreme Court to pass such strong strictures against the owners. The BCCI should have cleaned its stables because they knew about what was happening under their noses.

Knowing the thick-skinned Srinivasan, he will not budge; leave alone resigning. He enjoys a high status in the International Cricket Conference as its first Chairman. Srinivasan may not be directly involved in the scheme of things with regard to IPL, but when there was a conflict of interest regarding his position as BCCI chief and a franchisee owner, his own son-in-law being involved in alleged betting, the best thing he could have done was to resign. But he is a tough nut and still sticks to his guns maintaining that his team is not involved in any illegal activity.

The benchmark decision is indeed a step in the right direction. All, from commoner to some former cricketers have hailed the decision. But those who are on the Board payrolls have played it safe. Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar have had their lips sealed. It is a pity that they cannot say anything, because they will expose themselves. If they support the verdict, then they will be hounded out of whatever largesse they get from BCCI and if they talk against the decisions, then the fans will be against them. They are caught between the devil and the deep sea.

According to reports, the Supreme Court is to provide some measures for transparency for the BCCI by way of reforms, which is highly welcome. The IPL brand equity has suffered a battering. But no one should forget that the game is above any individual or any team. "Players will not be attached to a franchisee which has been suspended. We thought that if cricket is bigger than individuals then financial loss to players and franchises is not of significance," Justice Lodha has observed.

As CSK stands suspended, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not be seen in the IPL and that has caused some remorse for a few fans. But hopefully some way will be sorted out to ensure that Captain Cool will be seen in action in the next edition of IPL. Dhoni too was in the eye of the storm because of conflict of interest, which is also being addressed by the Supreme Court. In the IPL, money talks! With businessmen becoming franchisee owners, their only aim is to see that they reap rich financial returns from their huge investments.

Where there is money, there is corruption. Justice Lodha has said that they had interacted with 40 to 45 people and still need to talk to more stakeholders so that they can give guidelines to the BCCI to clean up its administration. IPL was a good concept. It made everyone rich, from the administrators, players and even the cheerleaders. But now it stinks to high heavens.

The Lodha panel will have to spell out their views on players like Dhoni of CSK and Rahul Dravid of RR. Also it will formulate clear cut guidelines on BCCI funding and telecast rights, payments to players and a few other issues. With the verdict, this Premiere show may have lost its glitz, but all said and done the romance with cricket will continue. The show will have to go on even without some of the stars!!!

By VALENTINE WILSON