N Srinivasan, world cricket certainly does not need you

So the mask on Mr N Srinivasan has been finally stripped off.

For months, or almost close to a year, we have been hearing from the high priest of global cricket he is clean and has nothing to do with the mess of IPL6. Today, nothing was left to chance or speculation as the highest court of the land named Srinivasan, his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, Rajasthan Royals boss Raj Kundra and most surprisingly IPL CEO Sundar Raman for acts of misdemeanour.

All along, we knew cricket in the Indian Premier League was not just about huge sixes and fours being whacked to various corners of the ground. In addition, there was dirt and sleaze as well in the world’s biggest domestic cricket competition where players made megabucks when picked at auctions. Nobody minded that as the IPL provided thrilling fare inside the stadium and also during prime time on television as it had become a good substitute for boring serials and overplayed films. Such was the power of the IPL even Bollywood releases were kept on hold in the summer.

Once the slime was unearthed from IPL, there was a trust deficit. Srinivasan was the lord and master of everything relating to cricket. Yes, he is a cricket lover and his company India Cements employs several cricketers. He then rose to such dizzy heights in the Indian cricket board (BCCI) none dared to stand up to him. And as the man who shaped the destiny of Chennai Super Kings, captained by MS Dhoni, Srinivasan’s clout morphed bigger and bigger.

The day the cops scratched the dirt off his son-in-law Meiyappan, Srinivasan ducked for cover. His statements were confusing as he gave an impression he had never done anything wrong.

Full marks to the Supreme Court as it first asked Srinivasan to step aside from the BCCI and let Shivlal Yadav run the cricket affairs of the country. Now that the Supreme Court has mentioned his name, he needs to immediately quit as the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman.

Srinivasan is loved and hated equally. For someone who has such huge clout and fears none, he could arm twist any cricketing nation. Yes, he did make India powerful as a cricketing power off the field but right now there is a huge trust deficit.

When the highest legal authority in the land mentions your name, there can be no hiding. One of the most famous quotes from Srinivasan in the last six months was “I am not being investigated.” Today it is clear he was being investigated.

The newest name of Sundar Raman for acts of misdemeanour is indeed baffling. You and I would expect that someone who is running a property as big as the IPL would be taking care of the best interests of the sport. In the days to come it will be interesting to see what acts Sundar Raman was involved in. After all, he was being paid a huge salary.

The next edition of the IPL is five months away. Now that two teams have been indirectly indicted – Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals – there should be no place for them in IPL 8.

From Sachin Tendulkar’s book release to Rohit Sharma’s whirlwind 246, cricket has been in the news all along. Now, it’s time for the IPL mess to trend.