Save Cricket from Politics. Has IPL & its Franchises, done dis-service to game of Cricket ?

Sensible, Balanced, and Man of all hours, P Chidambaram, puts healing touch to the millions of Cricket fans by saying it will be a disservice to cricket if Pakistanis are not included.

Basis of  Strain between IPL and Govt.

Let us go year back and try to figure out the relations which the IPL and its Franchises had with the Central Govt and its Home Minister P Chidambaram, Mr. Chidambaram was freshly moved from Finance Minister to Home, and Mr. Pranab Mukerjee, was given Finance.  The challenge before the govt. at that time in summer of 2009 was the General Elections in India, clubbed with Assembly Elections in some states. And it so happened the dates of Elections in many IPL League matches were coinciding with the dates of Polling.  

The Home Minister clearly impressed upon the IPL management, led by Lalit Modi, that Home Ministries all the security forces will be deployed for elections and the Home Ministry will not be able to lend security to the IPL venues during their match both, the state and central security was not made available to IPL Cricket Matches.   

Even adjustments of the venues and dates was not easy for IPL management to do, they in an Emergency situation run from pillar to post to request an overseas destination.  Finally South Africa came forward to help IPL to host IPL.

It was a magnificent effort and mobilization and management skills of IPL and its Franchises, highly appreciated by the cricket lovers, and South Africa had a dream run, IPL generated good business for them. But this process costed extra effort and money to the Franchisees and IPL, by hosting outside India, instead of home destinations of League Teams.   The whole experience for the IPL group of team owners was not a very comfortable and very profitable second IPL in South Africa. They had a tested  a  tough  Home Minister in P Chidambaram, who did not want to take any chances with security as the memories of Mumbai 26/11were still fresh, the govt wanted smooth and secured polling and elections in 2009.

 Was this,  turn of IPL bosses to square accout.

Now coming to our present times, in IPL 3, Curtain Raiser, the manner in which the auction of the Players was made, keeping the secret very close to their chest all the franchisees, maintained tight lip, on apparent collective dictate among the owners of the teams, not to bid for any Pakistani player, after listing them to go under the hammer in biding session, with a diplomatic approval by the ministry of foreign affairs, issuing them visas to participate and stay in India for the season.  

This is totally not understandable, the issue of security or boycott of the Pakistani players by certain political or radical elements in India was not the issue, Pakistan and India had this as opportunity thru noble game of Cricket to bridge the gap and sort out the issues of Terror and other bilateral dialogue on various issues.

The Pakistani people are like Indians,  are fans of Sachin, Shewag and Doni and Zaheer, Pathan and UV.  Similarly Indian have millions of fans for world leaders in 20/20 Cricket Pakistan, and its heros,  Shoeb Malik, Afridi, Abdul Razak, and Shoil Tanveer, who was adjudged as the best bowler in IPL 1.  The Pakistanis have contributed to the popularity and success of IPL 1.

 The brunt is on Aurstrailian and Regional Forces.

This time the issue is warning by Shiv Sena for not allowing the Australian Players from playing in Mumbai, and the Separate Telangana movement student leaders threatening the IPL Deccan Chargers, Andhra Owner of IPL in Hyderabad form making an opening game of IPL in Hyderabad 

Now in the backdrop these facts, how do the IPl and its Multi Million worth Owners, expect the Indian people, and world cricket fans, to approve the decision to keep the Pakistanis out of IPL 3.   

I suspect this is a cold war between the IPL management, its Team Owners, and the Home Ministry and its Minister P Chidambaram.   

The team owners not only embraced the govt and the foreign affairs ministry but also have broken the hearts of millions of Indian fans, who like to see good cricket and love to see games like cricket to be promoted to help bind the strained relations between the two neighboring countries like ours, India and Pakistan. The Pakistani Nation too must be feeling embarrassment and the type of treatment their cricket heroes got from IPL.  In all this has left very bad taste for cricket lovers. 

Modi today says if the team owners like they are free to take Pakistani players in the open slots, but adds a sarcastic remakes saying only  Rajasthan Royals have the funds and slot to fill, the rest of the owners are thru with the slots and there funds are exhausted. P Chidambaram a great Indian, and a Statesmen.

There has been deep politics, so much more that, a fan of cricket can understand.  Honorable Minister P Chidambaram showed signs of great Indian, who respected the sentiments of a strained nation like Pakistan, with accepted involvement of fundamentalist and terror groups responsible for the terror attack on Mumbai in  26/11  2008.  

Who will probe the real intentions of these rich owners of IPL teams, have they made the Pakistani Players scape goats to square their account with P Chidambaram who pinched their pockets in IPL 2 by refusing security for IPL matches. This is for you dear reader to judge.

Chidambaram on Monday criticised the IPL for ignoring Pakistani players, terming their exclusion “a disservice to cricket” and maintaining that the government had no role in it.