Indian Premier League: Run Out on Business Ethics

Abstract

'Cricketology', 'Cricketism', 'Cricketainment' are the few words which can well describe the craze of Indians for the game called cricket. India has witnessed more empty roads on a day of final of cricket match then a day of curfew. It has infused so deeply in Indians that even the reflex of a growing child has changed from ‘kicking the ball’ to ‘bowling the cricket ball’. 'Cricket is religion, Sachin is god' has been the most common poster that is held in the stands for years now. The transition of game from test cricket to one day and nowadays twenty20 has made it an obsession much bigger then ever. The synonym of Twenty20 in India is Indian Premier League popularly known as IPL. The IPL fever is in its full intensity in India these days. Many people are of the view that it is one of the best things that ever happens to the game of cricket. In fact IPL has become so popular worldwide that Australian Captain Ricky Ponting had to issue an appeal to his countrymen to focus more on their national team’s recent series with West Indies than to watch their retired cricketers perform in IPL. In the last three years, the IPL has transformed cricket in India from a gentlemanly sport of tea breaks and daylong matches into a fast-paced, $4 billion-a-year industry hailed as a fitting symbol of India’s rise as an economic power. Like its obsession over the years, the game has also attracted many controversies and illegal practices like match fixing, betting etc and it has grown with the game. The controversies surrounding IPL have gone beyond the normal dispute and raised several legal issues including match fixing and betting. A raging scandal, which has exposed a web entangling sports, politics and business in this country, threatens to end Mr. Modi’s winning streak. What started as a public spat between Mr. Modi and a senior lawmaker has quickly evolved into an investigation by India’s tax authorities into the league’s financial affairs. The revelations so far suggest that cricket has succumbed to the same kinds of cronyism and corruption that affect many other parts of Indian economics and politics. This game of big bucks is a run out on business ethics.