IPl fixing points to multiple failures
Even if it had been the need to ensure a decent living which had motivated the three young cricketers to collude with unscrupulous bookies and spot-fix matches, it would still not be a justification for betraying their game and the country. That it was not the need for sustenance but unmitigated greed which motivated Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, to sell themselves out only makes their crime more reprehensible. The Indian Premier league is a well-paying venture. Gone are the days when cricketers, hemmed in by their short shelf-lives, would have to look for other ways and means to support themselves.
Today, even youngsters like Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan make good money, as the IPl format has proved to be hugely profitable. In fact, paying the new players handsomely so that they remain motivated to perform, and exposing them to the best of cricketers in India and abroad so that they can improve and contribute to the game, are the two pillars of the IPl. By effectively throwing away their game for even more money, the players have subverted the basic concept that is IPl — now tainted as a money-guzzling monster.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which manages the tournament, has done the least it could have by suspending the accused. But that is neither an effective deterrent nor is it an excuse for the BCCI to wash its hands of the matter. While the three players will surely be prosecuted and punished if their guilt is established, the BCCI must also pull up its socks. As suspected bookies from across the country are now being hauled up, it is clear that the Sreesanth-Chandila-Chavan nexus is only the tip of the iceberg. This is not surprising at all — any venture that operates on such a scale is inherently vulnerable to large-scale corruption.
There will always be both unscrupulous bookies and dishonest players, but it is the BCCI's business to remain a step ahead of them. For this, the Board needs to put in place an effective system of checks and balances. Its current monitoring system that includes ethics committees and anti-corruption cells, has clearly failed; a complete overhaul is necessary. Also, the BCCI itself needs to become more transparent. For too long, it has fortified itself behind impenetrable gates of gold, but that is no longer tenable. The demand to bring the BCCI under the ambit of the Right to Information Act is only going to grow louder.
However, even as the people expect accountability from the BCCI and its players, they must also acknowledge the efforts of the much-maligned Delhi Police for a job well done. It was an alert official of the Delhi Police's Special Cell who ‘picked up' on an unusual conversation about ‘signals' being given from the ground. This was followed by the police’s monitoring of hours of phone calls and the collection of video footage before the arrests were made on Thursday. Hopefully, Delhi Police will be able to put together a strong case that will hold up in court. Meanwhile, let’s also remember that the money involved in fixing performances and the resultant betting trade — reported to be in the range of several thousand crores of rupees — has come from the underworld. This involves the grave matter of national security, no less.