PLAYERS DON’T HAVE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

There are other problems, inbuilt into IPL, which have created irregular incentives for players. In 2010, all- rounder Ravindra Jadeja was banned from season 3 of IPL for trying to negotiate a contract in violation of league rules. Jadeja, who at the time had not played for the Indian national team, was entitled to a salary of Rs 25 lakh, not more, set by the IPL Governing Council. Already a rising star in his franchise, Rajasthan Royals, Jadeja believed he deserved more money. This perverse rule on pay caps for Indian players who have never represented the country has made them vulnerable to the lure of illegal negotiations with franchises and offers from bookies. Curiously, no such cap is applicable to foreign players who have not represented their countries.

A recent TV sting operation on five Indian players who have never represented India revealed the dangerous consequences. The players— T. P. Sudhindra ( Deccan Chargers), Shalabh Srivastava ( Kings XI Punjab), Mohnish Mishra ( Pune Warriors), Amit Yadav

‘‘ What can I do if no one wants to clean the dirt from cricket? ‘‘ I am up against the whole world, politicians cutting across party lines. AJAY MAKEN, Sports Minister

( Kings XI Punjab) and Abhinav Bali— were caught on camera either offering to indulge in spot- fixing or ready to negotiate with other franchises or admitting that their franchises paid them significantly more than the official figure, in cash. An underground economy is clearly thriving in IPL. Modi, the creator of IPL and commissioner in its first three editions, admits that not auctioning uncapped players was a mistake.

There are several possible reforms that can salvage the situation:

No player should be retained by a franchise without an auction. In 2008, for example, M. S. Dhoni was bought by Chennai Super Kings at the highest bid price of $ 1.5 million ( Rs 7.5 crore). He was not put up for auction for the 2011 and 2012 seasons in which Gautam Gambhir came out on top with a bid price of $ 2.5 million ( Rs 12.5 crore) from Kolkata Knight Riders. It would be unreasonable to expect Dhoni to have commanded anything less in an open auction.

The only players not subject to an auction in IPL- 1 were the icon players— Sachin Tendulkar ( Mumbai), Rahul Dravid ( Bangalore), Sourav Ganguly ( Kolkata), Yuvraj Singh ( Punjab) and Virender Sehwag ( Delhi). Each was, however, to be paid a 10 per cent premium on the highest bid paid out by their team in the open auction. There was some transparency then. Now, with the icon system being replaced by the system of retaining play-

‘‘ India’s image is being spoilt at an international level because of IPL debauchery. ‘‘ I have written to Pranab Mukherjee to take action against IPL irregularities. KIRTI AZAD, BJP MP, EX- CRICKETER

ers ( icons or not), no one knows how much players are being paid, whether by cheque or in cash. Says Modi, “No one should be allowed to be retained. If a player is important for the franchise, let them bid for him.” Rajiv Shukla also recognises the opacity of retaining players. “We will consider revising this in our next Governing Council meeting,” he says.

There should be an independent regulator for sports. “No one is being able to self- regulate. If not for anything else, let the regulator look into the alleged financial bungling of the state cricket associations,” says Ajay Maken. “Put rules in place, things will start moving,” says Bishen Singh Bedi. The former Indian captain says it’s time BCCI auctions each player every year. “Let there be transparency, let us see who is paying what for whom. Let the juniors get a price for themselves so that they do not take money under the table,” adds Bedi.