Comments on: Eight years on, a decision returns to bother the ICC

By: Mohan

Mohan — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:39:54 +0000

I do hope IPL succeeds and I can’t wait to see ICC dead and buried. When 80% of the market is in India, it just doesn’t make sense for us to keep filling the coffers of ICC and all the other boards with Indian money. Let an Indian entity control cricket and let’s watch cricket played between Indian cities rather than the same old India-Pakistan, India-Australia stuff.

Go Modi!

By: Genesis of the IPL | DesiPundit

Genesis of the IPL | DesiPundit — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:00:21 +0000

[...] takes us back eight years when a crucial decision by ICC actually sowed the seeds for the Indian Premier League [...]

By: Rohit

Rohit — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:40:27 +0000

Interesting read.

By: Rahul

Rahul — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:46:53 +0000

Varun, there’s very strong word that Modi’s been working behind the scenes to get the ICC to change the cricket calendar. This hasn’t yet happened, but it could. The calendar is going to be the first area of conflict. The reason is that sooner or later, with the amount invested in the whole enterprise, it’s inevitable that they’ll want as many players as possible to be available for bidding on. Given the BCCI’s past behavior - of changing the calendar without asking - the only reason I imagine they’re taking the ICC into confidence here is because they’re not entirely sure whether this venture will work. But this is just a guess. But I meander.

There’s a real danger for the ICC here. If the league does pick up, I believe the game will be drawn on lines other than those of nationality, and that’s where the ICC itself will face some kind of crisis.

Whatever I’ve written so far is just my take on things, and some of this is a leap of imagination - but a very small leap.

As far as Zee’s court cases go, well, the BCCI is a non-profit society and can do as it wants. Zee’s argument was that the BCCI should be declared a ’state’ (don’t ask). The courts turned down everything.

Yes, Zee is losing out right now with the introduction of the IPL. But what does it take to solve this problem but money or an unlikely merger?

The reason I’ve written half the stuff I have in the past few days is because there are aspects of this development I found underreported. The focus was on the most banal things. I was just sitting there watching the news, and reading stuff on the net and thinking, “if these jokers took two minutes to actually think things through, they’d see there’s so much more that’s interesting about the IPL other than just the money.” But perhaps in places I’ve thought a little too much, in my excitement.

By: thedailytamasha

thedailytamasha — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:12:12 +0000

Just one question - how is IPL bothering ICC? And if the deals were not given to Zee for such flimsy reasons, why didn’t they win the court cases?

And with IPL coming in picture, isn’t Zee a bigger loser than ICC? (Assuming that BCCI strengthening is ICC’s only bother.)

Disclaimer: I am NOT AT ALL a BCCI or ICC supporter, neither an anti-Zee. Just curious to know your take on these logical questions coming to my mind.

(Btw, my latest post on my blog is also about IPL, though in a different mood.)