The BCCI needs to get real and comprehend that the stronger the ICL is, the better the foundation for IPL. India's stars of the future depend on a unified stand by the two bodies.
Lalit Modi vice-president of the BCCI, and chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), in a recent debate, said that the ICL is a venture by a businessman whose motive is not for the development of the game but to make money. So supporting them isn’t a feasible option for the richest cricket board. What is the IPL then? If the ICL is a business venture then the IPL is a proven money-making machine even before the players have stepped onto the field. The kind of money involved has come as no surprise in this cricket-mad part of the world. If you put this kind of money in a Swiss bank the interest would be enough to feed the entire population of India.
The BCCI does not seem to realize that the stronger the ICL is the better the foundation for the IPL will be. The ICL has great competitive cricket and star players who could have done wonders in the IPL. Just imagine Kolkata Knight Riders playing against Lahore Badshahs in a jam-packed Eden Gardens. This cricket war between ICL and IPL is taking cricket nowhere.
People like Kapil Dev, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Madan Lal and other stars that brought cricket glory for India in the 1983 World Cup have been sidelined. Mr. Modi says the IPL is about taking the game to a different level which I feel only he can define.
What will happen to the future of players like Ambati Rayudu, who was hailed as the next big thing like Sachin Tendulkar? There are many young stars still in their teens. What will happen to their careers in mainstream cricket if the BCCI does not even recognize them for selection since they are playing in a rebel league? The Pakistan team in the ICL looks stronger than their national team.
The game should not lose out to unfair business strategies adopted by the masters of the game. Sport is for enjoyment and commercializing it does not help its cause. As such, the IPL and the ICL should collaborate and not get involved in a war of words.
Let Cricket be the winner rather than the winner being a Lalit Modi or Subhash Chandra!
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