Indian Premier Stumbles & Fumbles
A few weeks ago I wrote an article on what I thought was discriminatory practices by the Indian Premier League cricket when it came to selecting players from the World T20 Champions Pakistan. The reasons provided by the IPL for not picking players from Pakistan went from availability issues, to lack of visa guarantees by the Indian government and finally to security issues.
Security was a lame excuse since IPL had already selected players from Australia who are facing similar security threat in India. In addition IPL already had coaches from both Pakistan and Australia. Most importantly providing security in general should not be based on who is playing, watching or coaching the game.
All organization should provide the best possible security possible for the players, coaches and spectators irrespective of who is in or who is not. Any location in India where large number of people and celebrities gathers should be considered as a high risk target from potential terrorists.
The key argument that was used to support the IPL auction decision was that the IPL was a private entity and they could do what they want to protect their investment. This is partially true. Like any private or government enterprise the IPL still has to work within the framework of Indian laws.
Most private organizations try their best to follow the laws of the land because there are serious repercussions for not doing so. But most private enterprises will also tell you that they also spend an equal amount of time managing public perception of their business and policies although that is not mandated by law.
Same sex unions and marriages are recognized by only a few states in the US. But most of the top corporations in the United States offer the same health and retirement benefits to their employees who are in “traditional” relationships as those who are in same-sex relationships.
Although IPL is an “Indian” league it has significant foreign participation (players and coaches). The cricketing world’s eyes are focused on the IPL now. There is no question that the image of the IPL took a beating because of its decision to exclude players from Pakistan (IPL initially said that it was the individual franchise decision but statements from owners like Shah Rukh Khan has indicated that there was an understanding not to hire Pakistani players).
Events of the past two days have lead people to question whether this league is setup properly to conduct an event of this magnitude. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) said in a statement today that IPL and the official broadcaster of the event “arbitrarily” refused to abide by the rules set up in 2008. The NBA which has about 34 channels has decided not to cover the third edition of the IPL.
In a statement the NBA said “In view of this position unilaterally taken by IPL/SET MAX, members of the NBA are unable to offer to their viewers any coverage in relation to IPL or its proposed matches. Inconvenience caused to our viewers by this unreasonable commercial approach of IPL/SET MAX is regretted”. This is a big blow to the marketing efforts of the IPL and should have never happened. Decisions like this rarely come down when there is so much money to be made by all parties involved.
This comes on the close heels of the legal notice issued by the Deccan Chargers on the IPL. The Chargers lawyers indicated that the IPL decision to shift the matches was taken “arbitrarily, unilaterally, without our client’s consent and in complete breach of the Franchise Agreement dated April 10, 2008 pursuant to which the rights and obligations of both the parties i.e. BCCI-IPL and the Franchisee, i.e. our client are governed”.
Responding to the action the IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi said on his Twitter page that “Reports that DC will not play or x y z may not — please ignore such news. All IPL teams will participate. You have my assurance on that”. The question is why issues like broadcast rights schedule and match locations still under dispute this close to the opening of the season? The commissioner seems to be minimizing the impact of the lawsuit and seems to be in a damage control mode. Deccan Chargers are not just any other team. They are the defending champions.
Should fans like us still follow a league like this that is so badly managed, organized and presented? I think it is time for the league to be run by people who are as focused on the leagues integrity and image as they are about their wallets.
Related posts:
- Indian Premier League is not Sports but a Reality Show
- Indian Premier League’s Credibility Tainted
- Why Did IPL Exclude Players from Pakistan?
- What is Wrong With Indian Cricket?
- An Indian Who Loves American Football
Category: Sports & Entertainment