IPL mess as unpredictable as a T20 thriller

This is a tough period for everyone associated with the Indian Premier League. After the Supreme Court’s verdict on the ‘IPL Fixberg’ and N Srinivasan’s struggles with his moves in the end game, all eyes will shift to the high-profile committee headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha. 

From players to franchise owners and others associated with cricket’s richest league, the concern is what lies in store. The Justice Lodha committee has two big tasks on hand. It will have to decide on the punishment to be handed out to Gurunath Meiyappan, Raj Kundra and their two teams — Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. It also has been given the power to look into the role played by IPL COO Sundar Raman. With no clarity on the IPL auction and whether these two teams will be part of the 2015 edition, this is the time team owners and affected players will be chewing their nails. 

The Lodha committee has been given six months to submit its report, but the scenarios are quite scary for the IPL teams. Take for example the team owners who need to get their mix right. On top of the list is Delhi Daredevils who have just around 10 players as their nucleus after big guns Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik and Kevin Pietersen were released. This is a side hoping to get a good Indian player with Yuvraj Singh touted as a strong possibility. The problems facing Delhi Dardevils are quite serious. Lack of sponsors is definitely a big worry and if the team owner has to go to the corporate sector for raking in the moolah, they have nothing to show by way of star players currently. 

Dates for the IPL auction need to be fixed at the earliest so that some uncertainty can be cleared. But the officials and players already having sleepless nights are those associated with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. People in the know in legal circles say no time can be wasted before the panel headed by Justice Lodha starts work. But the possibilities which lie ahead cannot be ignored. Suppose the IPL auction takes place in February and the panel submits its report a month later and decides the two teams in the dock will be scrapped, it’s bound to cause turmoil. 

The league may still go on with fewer teams but the plight of the players needs serious consideration. The world talks of how top players rake in big bucks, but many would have forgotten what happened to the likes of Mahela Jayawardene after the Kochi Tuskers Kerala packed up. Technically, the BCCI was supposed to provide these players financial guarantee, but it did not happen. 

Last year, there was huge uncertainty over the IPL as dates clashed with the general election. The first few weeks had to be played in the United Arab Emirates, before the tournament shifted to India. 

The mandate given to the Justice Lodha panel is clear: Decide on the punishment for the two teams, Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, and at the same time rework the BCCI constitution. Then again, what happens to CSK if it wins the next IPL edition and is then thrown out? In that case, they will be unable to play the Champions League. 

At this point of time, given the air of negativity surrounding the IPL, no franchise official would be bold enough to write to the BCCI asking for clarity. The eternal optimist feels the IPL will survive the latest crisis, and the brand will emerge stronger minus the frills. A huge section feels the cricket on view in the IPL has been high-voltage stuff, but the distractions and dirt put many off. 

Justice Lodha has been described as a cricket lover by Justice Mukul Mudgal, and it was thanks to the painstaking efforts of the latter that the cleansing act could take place. If the Justice Lodha panel takes up the IPL issue first and submits a separate report, it would be welcome. After all, issues relating to amendments in the BCCI constitution will take a longer time. 

Even as Team India prepares for the battles in the tri-series and the World Cup, at home the IPL turbulence keeps many officials on tenterhooks. This is not the first time the IPL has faced a crisis but if the politics can be kept aside, the league deserves a chance to stand again and enthral cricket lovers. After all, cricket in the IPL is as much for the connoisseurs as for the common man.