Parallel Cricket League in India
I have always wondered why the corporations were not interested in setting up a cricket league, based on the football (soccer), baseball, American football, etc. leagues that exist in America, UK, Germany, etc. Even the Indian Hockey League (IHL) works as a template that could have been followed by the corporations (or even a handful of entrepreneurs) – after all, cricket is a big money making business in India. A sport, in today’s world, is a money making business, and based on the sound principles of economics too. As long as there is demand, supply will always be at a premium.
Mr. Chandra has mentioned that he wants to create a league to remove some of the problems that face Indian cricket today – especially in the wake of the pre-mature CWC 2007 exit. How true is that? I think he may be right, partially. Giving Mr. Chandra the benefit of the doubt, one has to say that the thought is noble indeed. However, the bigger question is – does India need a parallel league?
Strategic Timing
Zee TV’s decision to set up the cricket league comes at a very peculiar time in Indian cricket – public outcry against the team being thrown out of the CWC 2007 is huge, and more than anyone, the fare paying public is demanding changes. Considering that Zee TV did make the formal announcement about the cricket at this hour (according to reports and Mr. Chandra’s quote, they were not supposed to make this announcement public until a couple months later), gives the feeling that it is a very business savvy announcement. What are the odds that the BCCI would have agreed to setting up the league, had the announcement been made after a better showing by the Indian team at the CWC? By timing it the way Zee TV has, they are trying to arm-twist BCCI to agree to the whole creation of the league. Considering that there is so much money to be made by the creation of a cricket league in India, there is no doubt that the BCCI will want a stake in the eventual profits. However, Zee TV will want to consider the cricket league their own baby and try and mint as much money out of it as they can, without too much involvement from BCCI (and thereby paying only a fraction of the profits to the BCCI, if anything at all). I believe sharing of profits (and also the fact that BCCI did not give the TV rights to Zee TV) is the prime factor in the timing of the announcement. Mr. Chandra wants to kill two birds with the same shot – set up the league and make sure that BCCI does not get a substantial cut in the profits.
Coming back to the original question of – does India need a parallel league – I think the answer is: yes it does, but not right now. There are a couple of reasons why I say this. We do need corporate sponsorship – however, coming in the form that it is coming – a parallel cricket league – is not the right way of doing it.
My primary concern is if there is no constitution to bind the parallel league, it will turn into a haven for match fixing. No one will be answerable to anyone in an open league system. Even the worst sporting leagues around the world have some sort of constitution, a rule book if you will, to fall back on. No where has Mr. Chandra suggested that he will put a proper structure and required processes in place to make sure that the bad elements of cricket don’t infiltrate into the parallel league. Running a parallel league is vastly different from conducting a night cricket tournament, played by “gully” cricketers across the nation every summer months.
My other reason is around the fact that another league will eat away into the already existing domestic structure in existence today. I fully subscribe to the view that the current structure needs to undergo drastic changes (we need to trim down the number of teams, players, etc. from the current structure – thereby making it more competitive) – however, my point is that we need to make changes to the existing structure, and not necessarily create a parallel cricket league. Division of resources is never a good idea – and should not be allowed in this case. Players, even if the BCCI agrees to the new league, will have to divide their time and effort into two leagues, facilities (grounds, gyms, etc.) will be divided, the general paying public will be divided on where to spend their hard earned money (where does the middle class family get the money to pay both Geo Sports channel as well as Zee TV cricket channel?).
BCCI cannot make, should not make any hasty decisions on the creation of the parallel league. Of course, Mr. Chandra will still go ahead and implement his plans, but they will come a cropper. Maybe, Zee TV will force a few of the players into not signing player agreements with the BCCI, however, any person with aspirations to play for the nation should stay out of this unless the BCCI blesses this format. In due course however, BCCI should bless this concept – maybe not in the current form, but maybe by trying to force the corporations into spending their money on the domestic structure (albeit with modifications).
If Mr. Chandra indeed wishes the best for Indian cricket, then he should be working in close tandem with the BCCI – who in turn should make sure that the league is run in a fair manner, adhering to all laws and processes and providing a solid constitution – which might be slightly different from the way it manages cricket in India currently.
Dhaval Brahmbhatt
Mr. Chandra has mentioned that he wants to create a league to remove some of the problems that face Indian cricket today – especially in the wake of the pre-mature CWC 2007 exit. How true is that? I think he may be right, partially. Giving Mr. Chandra the benefit of the doubt, one has to say that the thought is noble indeed. However, the bigger question is – does India need a parallel league?
Strategic Timing
Zee TV’s decision to set up the cricket league comes at a very peculiar time in Indian cricket – public outcry against the team being thrown out of the CWC 2007 is huge, and more than anyone, the fare paying public is demanding changes. Considering that Zee TV did make the formal announcement about the cricket at this hour (according to reports and Mr. Chandra’s quote, they were not supposed to make this announcement public until a couple months later), gives the feeling that it is a very business savvy announcement. What are the odds that the BCCI would have agreed to setting up the league, had the announcement been made after a better showing by the Indian team at the CWC? By timing it the way Zee TV has, they are trying to arm-twist BCCI to agree to the whole creation of the league. Considering that there is so much money to be made by the creation of a cricket league in India, there is no doubt that the BCCI will want a stake in the eventual profits. However, Zee TV will want to consider the cricket league their own baby and try and mint as much money out of it as they can, without too much involvement from BCCI (and thereby paying only a fraction of the profits to the BCCI, if anything at all). I believe sharing of profits (and also the fact that BCCI did not give the TV rights to Zee TV) is the prime factor in the timing of the announcement. Mr. Chandra wants to kill two birds with the same shot – set up the league and make sure that BCCI does not get a substantial cut in the profits.
Coming back to the original question of – does India need a parallel league – I think the answer is: yes it does, but not right now. There are a couple of reasons why I say this. We do need corporate sponsorship – however, coming in the form that it is coming – a parallel cricket league – is not the right way of doing it.
My primary concern is if there is no constitution to bind the parallel league, it will turn into a haven for match fixing. No one will be answerable to anyone in an open league system. Even the worst sporting leagues around the world have some sort of constitution, a rule book if you will, to fall back on. No where has Mr. Chandra suggested that he will put a proper structure and required processes in place to make sure that the bad elements of cricket don’t infiltrate into the parallel league. Running a parallel league is vastly different from conducting a night cricket tournament, played by “gully” cricketers across the nation every summer months.
My other reason is around the fact that another league will eat away into the already existing domestic structure in existence today. I fully subscribe to the view that the current structure needs to undergo drastic changes (we need to trim down the number of teams, players, etc. from the current structure – thereby making it more competitive) – however, my point is that we need to make changes to the existing structure, and not necessarily create a parallel cricket league. Division of resources is never a good idea – and should not be allowed in this case. Players, even if the BCCI agrees to the new league, will have to divide their time and effort into two leagues, facilities (grounds, gyms, etc.) will be divided, the general paying public will be divided on where to spend their hard earned money (where does the middle class family get the money to pay both Geo Sports channel as well as Zee TV cricket channel?).
BCCI cannot make, should not make any hasty decisions on the creation of the parallel league. Of course, Mr. Chandra will still go ahead and implement his plans, but they will come a cropper. Maybe, Zee TV will force a few of the players into not signing player agreements with the BCCI, however, any person with aspirations to play for the nation should stay out of this unless the BCCI blesses this format. In due course however, BCCI should bless this concept – maybe not in the current form, but maybe by trying to force the corporations into spending their money on the domestic structure (albeit with modifications).
If Mr. Chandra indeed wishes the best for Indian cricket, then he should be working in close tandem with the BCCI – who in turn should make sure that the league is run in a fair manner, adhering to all laws and processes and providing a solid constitution – which might be slightly different from the way it manages cricket in India currently.
Dhaval Brahmbhatt
posted by dhaval brahmbhatt at 4/03/2007 07:22:00 PM
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