No one knows more about the IPL than Lalit, who is conspicious by his abscence
No one knows more about the IPL than Lalit, who is conspicious by his abscence |
| Say Cheers? Next year's Indian Premier League may lack this kind of glitz and glamour |
An IPL junkie told me the other day it was impossible for him to envisage next year's tournament without former impresario Lalit Modi. Out in the cold for the past few months (but not in Iceland it must be clarified), Modi's ubiquitous presence in the first three editions of the IPL made him arguably India's most watched personality in that period after Sachin Tendulkar and Shah Rukh Khan.
Now, of course, Modi is conspicuous by his absence ufffd unless matters between him and the BCCI and/or the government of India are resolved early enough. And even if he is not leading from the front, as it were, his views would be invaluable. From being king of opinion on twitter, perhaps some brave TV channel can make him an expert commentator? After all, who knows all about the IPL, in more ways than one, than Modi?
But I am being facetious. Modi is no doubt central to the current mess in which the IPL is embroiled, yet going ahead, the new dispensation which forms the governing council has its task cut out in several other aspects: not only do they have to ensure that IPL IV has to be played, but also how its brand value can be sustained, if not enhanced.
Unrelenting controversies since April have dented the image of the tournament, never mind the brave noises made by the BCCI mandarins. With two teams - Kings Xl Punjab and Rajasthan Royals ufffd now thrown out and new franchise Kochi on a 30-day termination notice, it doesn't need Moody's ratings to tell us that the stock of the IPL is running rather low currently.
Governance
Clearly, governance was not the strong suit of the erstwhile governing council, as fresh information emerges about franchises, old and new. Indeed, it seems that the IPL was run on wheeling and dealing to the extent that all the water of the Ganges may not be enough to cleanse it completely.
There are other contentious issues lurking in the shadows too even as the imbroglio between these franchises and the BCCI is played out in board rooms and court rooms.
It seems almost certain now that the governing council will allow franchises to retain four (or more) of their existing players.
This is music to some owners and a dirge to others, and if this dissonance is played out in the public domain, it stands to reason that the brand equity of the IPL gets further affected.
But top priority for the governing council will be to get a full complement of teams for IPL IV. Theoretically, a tournament can be held even with seven teams in case Kochi fails to meet the BCCI's stipulations, but this would lead to major complications on several other scores.
The broadcasters would be terribly unhappy, for instance, as would the sponsors all of whom have been willing to pay top dollar to be associated with the brand.
Eight teams is a must. These apart, there are other 'peripheral' issues that the BCCI will surely be alert to.
The decision to reduce the razzmatazz of the IPL appears already to have been taken. No more cheerleaders trying to do the bump and grind and upsetting our moral police and the fuddy duddies in the cricket establishment, but how this goes down with a paying public now used to such entertainment remains to be seen. Moreover, if the ban on Punjab and Rajasthan stays, the glamour quotient will be further diminished.
In that sense, IPL IV looks like it will be a far more tepid affair compared to the previous three years.
This means that the success of the tournament will depend fundamentally on the quality of cricket and individual performances, not on extraneous factors.
Purely from a sports perspective, this is of the essence. But will the chocolate taste as sweet without the seductive packaging is the million-dollar question.
