American philosopher George Santayana's oft quoted lines "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," come to mind after once again watching cricketers being auctioned like cattle and the hype it has generated.
That the IPL is now the most significant event in India's cricketing calendar was never in doubt, with or without Lalit Modi. And with no shortage of money, sponsors and viewing public, it may one day even derail the World Cup, if not the one being held in the sub-continent next month, the subsequent ones for sure. The saturated media coverage it generated, something which happens only during a major terrorist attack or a general election, is in itself an indicator of how the distribution of mega bucks makes the world go bonkers.
Anyway, this article is not going into the merits or demerits of the IPL as a tournament, but is going to raise a few fundamental issues in its governance, something which had been talked about endlessly last year, but has been forgotten in the razzmatazz of money, glamour and advertising blitz.
Another point I want to raise is just an observation. A few young Indian players have all of a sudden got a windfall and their two-year IPL earning (in reality playing for only three months) is as much as they could make if they play 10 years for India.
{{/usCountry}}Another point I want to raise is just an observation. A few young Indian players have all of a sudden got a windfall and their two-year IPL earning (in reality playing for only three months) is as much as they could make if they play 10 years for India.
{{/usCountry}}Some of them could lose motivation to do well for their country and would want to remain injury-free and fit for the IPL which commences immediately after this year's World Cup. This is no reflection on anyone's lack of patriotism but just a possibility, as we are all first human beings, then citizens of a country.