The decision of India’s original matchwinner, Kapil Dev Nikhanj, to also associate himself with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) set up by co-Jat Subhash Chandra of Zee, has led to much heartburn in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Although neither Sharad Pawar nor his mavens and minions are saying so openly, they want the all-rounder to either stay with the BCCI (he is the chief of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore) or face the ignominy of being sacked if he continues to align with ICL.
For his part, Kapil Dev claims, as all Indian cricketers do at the drop of a catch, that he is only trying to give back something to the game that has given him so much. He claims there is no conflict of interest by being part of ICL, which chose India’s high-speed exit from the World Cup to set itself up as a parallel body, more or less. And he says he will associate not just with ICL but with anybody else who wants to improve cricket in the country.
Is Kapil being a mercenary who wants his bread buttered on both sides—and maybe the crust too? Is BCCI overreacting? Is it illegal for any body other than the BCCI to build cricket or is Subhash Chandra only fishing in troubled waters by trying to do a Kerry Packer? And, even if Brian Lara and Shane Warne and Inzamam Ul Haq play in the ICL, will it improve Indian cricket or will it end up providing the software for Zee’s sports channels to make a bit of money?
I don’t see a conflict of interest as the ICL is not trying to create an Indian team of its own. It is like any other corporate tournament that is dime a dozen in this country…. except that it involves big superstars and threatens BCCI’s coffers.
Most of the people they are hiring are ex-cricketers and I don’t know what sort of legal action BCCI can take against Kapil specifically.
BCCI should immediately convene a meeting and unanimously vote to dissolve itself.They should handover all affairs of cricket to Supercop Gill and Minister for Parliamentary affairs Priyaranjan Dasmunshi who are already doing a good job of taking Football in Hockey to bottom of world Rankings, respectively! Cricket will be safe in their hands. They should rope in Suresh Kalmadi who will try to get ANY chamionship anywhere for staging in India…
Subhash Chandra is not a Jat. He is a Baniya. His surname is Goyal.
nice article. i didn’t ever see this type of article before. really nice. carry on. you will get success.
BCCI is a private body as is ICL. There is no harm to Cricket if some former players make money by joining ICL. It is good if the competition from ICL results in BCCI becoming more professional.
though a die hard fan of kapil dev, i feel kapil should not have accepted bcci post if he had decided to go with icl. there is clear conflict of interests.
tragedy is both BCCI and ICL are least bothered about the the game .
cricket in india has started to decline in terms of popularity.
I think Kapil Dev is doing a good thing! I would be interested in knowing the comments of my fellow bloggers on what he said about Kulla being a passenger in the team:)
ERR is right–clowns like KPS Gill, Munshi, Kalmadi are a disgrace!
after crying yourself hoarse over caste classification in silicon halli, why would you add this phrase – “co-Jat” (irrespective of whether a jat is a baniya or vice versa or neither) – in describing what looks like a business association?
it is upto bcci to do what they want to do. if i were them, i would fire kapil dev. but if i were them (either pawar or dalmiya), things would not have led to icl in the first place!
if – on the other hand – i were kapil dev, i would pick the one (not both) more rewarding job (economically and mentally).
– s.b.
The way the Indian cricket team is playing- the rain saved the team from deafeat. The so called ‘star-studded’ has run its course. The team needs building up with fresh blood and they should confine themselves with matches in India. Every time Indian cricket team or Indian Olypic team visits abroad, there have always been tens of ‘official hangers on’ whose primary activity is to do shopping and enjoy travelling at government’s expense. Rumour is that the team members, particularlly the ‘ old stars’ know that they may be in their last years as players and they are making the most of it, not practicising at the nets but socialing outside the nets.
And many thanks for Kapil Dev for suggesting a radical formula to get rid of the likes of Kulla and a few others: score runs and keep the place:)