Hattangadi speaks out against secret society called IPL

"You would end up with SRK as BCCI president" - Shishir Hattangadi

Sunday Guardian

Former Mumbai cricket captain Shishir Hattangadi is unique in manyways that he served as director-cricket operations and head of cricketoperations for two different franchises - Mumbai Indians and DeccanChargers - in the first two seasons. He saw the innards of thefunctioning of the secret society called IPL at extremely closequarters. In an extensive conversation with Sandeep Bamzai, he nowblows the lid on the lack of transparency and disclosure which doggedIPL and its franchises leading to the current imbroglio. Excerpts:
*What was the problem within the IPL, how did it function say at thefranchise level?
Let us understand the nature of the beast, it was a franchise led IPL.For without the franchisees, there was no IPL. So, the interfacebetween the franchise owners and IPL Commissioner lalit Modi was oneon one and hence secretive without information percolating down atall. The owners had been roped in on a certain premise, based oncomplete confidentiality and lack of disclosure. What did come out inpublic domain was profit share from central pool, revenue model; butthat is just about it. Decisions were made without so much as a byyour leave. For instance retention of players, payments to players;the legal department handled contracts and it was a tripartite axisfeaturing owner, player and the legal cell. We were never toldanything.
Remember that the franchisees also were new to this business. Mythinking as an owner would be - I have this property, it is my domainand I choose to handle it my way - the way Sinatra sang: I will do itmy way. Transparency has now come through a simple tweet. Let us givelalit Modi his due, in many ways it is like KBC with Amitabh Bachchan.When the pilot was made and taken to media buyers, they actually saidno initially. But Star was convinced that they had a winner and theywent with it making history in the process. Modi too believed in theproperty and it rocked.
*Then why so much secrecy...
Lalit Modi was a nobody 10 years ago, he has been created by the BCCIand media. If Subhash Chandra failed, then it is because the BCCI didnot give him official sanction. My fear is that with IPL being drilledinto our heads, the younger players will be convinced to foregoeverything for the IPL. For them IPL colours will become moreimportant than even state and national colours. It is successful, butit has sleaze. Modi ran a secret society aided and abetted by thefranchise owners.There was never any clarity on any of the contracts or tenders. It wasall shrouded in secrecy.
*Do you then fear the complete corporatisation of the game in theyears to come, that the administrators would be replaced by teamowners who would run the game and the board?
That is most worrying. You have hit the nail on the head. A corporatetakeover was on the cards. From the standpoint of vaulting ambition,viewership, popularity, sponsorships and advertising, this was clearlythe design. Corporatising the game and taking over it completely. Butthis is sacrilege, you cannot run sport or cricket on the basis ofreturn on investment (ROI). If thsat becomes the underpiining ethos,then sport as a concept dies.
There would come a time when state associations would have beendissolved and Mumbai Indians would take over MCA, Chennai Super Kingswould take over TNCA and KKR would run CAB. If this had been allowedto happen, there would be a lot of compromises. The edifice of theBCCI functions on the back of its vote bank. Thirty odd associationscontrol the board and the game. Five years down the line IPL wouldbecome the crowning glory of the domestic season. Already we saw thisenvelope being pushed - Deodhar Trophy was discarded for somethingcalled Corporate Trophy. The nexus between board satraps, marketersand broadcasters is the biggest bugbear. You would probably end upwith Shahrukh Khan as BCCI president. I am okay with that as long ashe can run cricket in India ethically and with accountability, butdoes he have the time to do that or the necessary bandwidth.
*So, what do you reckon has suddenly gone wrong with the script?
The all izz well phenomenon has been punctured. It lloked well at thesurface, underneath there was a festering sore. Yes, there wasvisibility, money, glamour; so no questions were asked. Media too keptmum, some big media even supporting the Modi cult aggressively. It wasthe great Indian cash cow. Nobody was willing to take a sneak peakbehind the dark, black curtain. The Governing Council kept quiet, theBCCI too.
Lalit has put his foot in his mouth and unleashed dominoes which haveborught the whole card house down. As a cricketer who put a value onthe cap that I wore, I am pained at the taint and shame, there is somuch mud and grime tumbling out. The world must be laughing at us.Cricket had become a vehicle for commerce, somewhere one needs to drawthe line between commerce and cricket. The boy's club has been thrownwide open and I am telling you this is not the end of it.The train ishurtling out of control to its doom.