IPL is nothing but a circus

Photo courtesy of BBC. Ban IPL

If you (BCCI) can build a business (IPL) on greed and not Cricket, then do not cry foul if cricketers and bookies also have the same mission.

I had always contended IPL is nothing more than a circus. The recent investigations by Indian Police that spot-fixing is ripe in Indian Premier League (IPL) have made it abundantly clear that none of the matches are a reliable and taint-free day in the field.

It is not just the fringe players out to make some quick bucks, but some of the leading Indian cricketers are found guilty of the offense. To make matters worse, now even the IPL owners are under Police investigation leading one to speculate, is everything reallyCricket?

BCCI has always considered themselves as Godfathers of world cricket. More akin to cricket mafia than a national governing body. Dictating often how cricket should be played and when and where it should be played. They would mock ICC on many occasions including overriding the world cricketing body; Choosing whom to play, whom to ban and whom to ignore. They would take on feuds with other boards who would rival their authority and somewhat step on their toes.

Heck, they even banned Pakistani players for no apparent cricketing reason rather dragging petty politics into create. Which in turn has created enough animosity towards BCCI across the whole region. Heck, due to BCCI iron hand tactics, more cricket fans want to see India loose than win in a match.

Today, their #IPL lies in ruins with revelations of spot-fixing all across the tournament. The multibillion dollar enterprise is reduced to nothing but bookies playground where they dictate the terms and often results.

Who would watch such a circus? Seriously who would? The cleanup does not happen by capturing a few culprits, it will only be successful when all such elements are eliminated, and that could mean banning the tournament for the foreseeable future.

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