IPL has become "gambling and business": Kerala Sports Minister

Even as the Kochi IPL consortium is actively lobbying for support from the LDF government in Kerala, the state Sports Minister M Vijayakumar today said the high-profile tourney had virtually become `gambling and business.'

Updated on: May 13, 2010, 20:17:01 IST

PTI | By HT Correspondent, Thiruvananthapuram

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Even as the Kochi IPL consortium is actively lobbying for support from the LDF government in Kerala, the state Sports Minister M Vijayakumar on Thursday said the high-profile tourney had virtually become `gambling and business.'

"Cricket as a sport will be encouraged. But we cannot agree with treating the game as a commercial venture," he said.

Unfortunately, the bidding of teams and auctioning of players had assumed the dimension of 'gambling and business', he said, adding this could not be approved.

Asked what could be the approach of the Left Front government towards the Kochi IPL team, the CPI-M minister in the Achuthanandan cabinet said 'as a game, we will be promoting cricket, but not as a business.'

Promoters of the Kochi IPL consortium Rendezvous had on Wednesday called on Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan seeking government's support for a home team for the cricket league.

Achuthanandan asked them to give the details of the venture in writing and said the government's response would be made known after discussions at the government level.

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