Paul Lewis: Grumbles as IPL business kicks in

Paul Lewis

It had to happen. The first cracks in the glitzy, cash-ridden IPL Twenty20 cricket competition are widening.

First, what seemed to be a uniquely Indian project had to be shifted to South Africa because of security reasons. Now Indians are complaining that what should be an Indian tournament for Indian players is turning into a bit of a lock-out by foreigners.

According to AFP, former Indian captain Ajit Wadekar said: "This whole talk of IPL being a domestic Indian tournament is a joke. It is Indian money, our country's money, on which foreigners are thriving. But they do not think twice before sacking an Indian."

India star Mohammad Kaif, 28, was sacked by Rajasthan Royals two days before the IPL's second season started in South Africa because skipper Shane Warne said "he did not fit into the scheme of things". Kaif has played 13 tests and 125 one-day internationals.

"It has exposed the complete ruthlessness of the owners," said Sharda Ugra, sports editor of the India Today magazine. "Eventually for them it's business first. Unfortunately the Indians seem to be losing out, even the great players."

India's most successful test captain Sourav Ganguly was replaced at the helm of Kolkata Knight Riders by New Zealander Brendon McCullum, a move masterminded by their cricket head, former Australian coach John Buchanan. Rahul Dravid was dumped as captain of Bangalore Royal Challengers after Kevin Pietersen came on board this year while VVS Laxman was sacked as skipper of Deccan Chargers in favour of Adam Gilchrist.

There are two points to make here. First, Twenty20 has always been more about business than sport. 'Eventually', Ms Ugra, has nothing to do with it. More like 'inevitably'.

Cricket's last brush with greed and self-absorption was Sir Allen Stanford, the billionaire financier who bought his way into English cricket with a vulgar display of wealth involving a helicopter at Lord's and a transparent case stuffed with millions of dollars.

Unsurprisingly, it all ended in tears, with Stanford photographed bouncing the wife of an England player on his knee in a fashion that suggested he who owned the game owned everything else. Most of the cricket world regarded with distaste Stanford's winner-take-all $20m Twenty20 series between England and the West Indies (although this had the pleasing side-effect of helping a cash-strapped West Indies); and

Stanford was eventually charged with an unrelated 8 billion fraud by US authorities, which he denies.

Not a lot of sport in that little lot. Thwack of leather on willow, anyone?

Second, the Indians are being a little sensitive. On a purely sporting basis, it can hardly be a surprise that McCullum was preferred to Ganguly.

McCullum is 27, has played 45 Twenty20s, has 1267 runs at 32.48 average and with a strike rate of nearly 150 - bolstered by that amazing 158 not out in the opening round of the IPL. Ganguly, in spite of a truly wonderful record in cricket, is nearly 37, has played 33 Twenty20s, scored 727 runs at 25.06 and a strike rate of 108.66. It's a no-brainer for this version of the game.

Similarly, Dravid is not known as "The Wall" for nothing and not even he would say he is a natural Twenty20 player. Ganguly's still playing. Laxman is still turning out for Deccan Chargers, as is Dravid for the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

But the phenomenon of over-influence of foreigners and money has occurred elsewhere. Look at England's Premier League, dominated as it is by foreign players. At least the Premier League works, at the top end anyway. It ain't so great if you are West Bromwich Albion.

County cricket has drifted away from its origins as the teams are increasingly made up of people who do not come from Yorkshire or Lancashire for example - and who lose relevance as a result.

New Zealand's Super 14 franchises don't suffer from an influx of foreigners but have something of the same loss of relevance issues. Let's not even mention the Air NZ Cup. Even the All Blacks - the main focus of the NZRU - have been mired in an increasingly repetitive blur of Tri

Nations series; made up of increasingly hard-to-remember test matches which engender neither the fond recall nor the anticipation of yesteryear; all of which have helped disenfranchise a small army of rugby fans in the professional era.

In other sports, like baseball, NFL and track and field, cheats take to drugs because of the mighty rewards on offer. In the NRL, AFL and even rugby, booze-induced offences proliferate as the money on offer warps standards of behaviour.

In some parts of the world, sports clubs are public companies, subject to takeovers and investor raids. Rival billionaires bicker and take the sport to court (America's Cup).

Sound like business or sport?

The Indians can hardly be blamed for wondering why their IPL, financed by their dosh, is increasingly dominated by foreigners. Even

though only four are allowed per team, there was a (thwarted) move this year to increase it to six and a growing mood that the mainly foreign coaches favour non-Indians.

But it's all business. Twenty20, with the best will in the world, is not real cricket. It's a fundraiser, bringing in the money to keep the sport and other forms of the game alive. The games are essentially meaningless.

It's also a fragile business premise. The TV and auction money which keeps IPL going could yet be hit by global economic conditions.

Basing your sport's future on the fortunes of TV, Bollywood interests and India's newly rich seems a risky formula - prone to the same 'crash' pressures that has brought much of the rest of the world to its financial knees.

Sport? just barely ...