The IPL auction which saw absolutely no bidding for Pakistani players has left the whole of Pakistan fuming & has lead to a diplomatic war between the two sides….Lalit Modi in his defense kept stating that ‘performance’ & ‘availability’ were the criteria based on which the franchises selected the players…
Mr Modi did not do his homework as he forgot that Pakistan are the T20 champions and out of the eleven Pakistani players put for auction most of the players were part of the winning team. And as far as availability is concerned…Pakistan has no tour lined up for March & April when the IPL is scheduled to take place…So this theory stands no ground. It could probably be a sort of a
pay-back time for the government to send a message to Modi to not get into a direct confrontation with the government as he did last year. The sad fact of the matter is that Modi is becoming bigger than the event…And this is a peril for IPL
The franchise haven’t come out in the open with a vivid explanation for the non-inclusion of Pakistani players in their teams but some of them have referred the unanimous decision to ‘security issues’ which they won’t be able to provide nor is the government ready to guarantee for any players. But home minister P.Chidambaram’s comment that the non-selection of Pakistani players was a ‘disservice’ to cricket has punched a big hole in the explanation given by the franchises.
The IPL fiasco has united the political fraternity, cricketers & the people of Pakistan. This move has given the government of Pakistan the much needed ammunition to attack the Indian government. The saddest aspect of the whole event is that the people across the border have perceived as political decision with the backing of the Indian people. Though the Indian media & the Indian cricket fraternity has condemned the whole event...
Lalit Modi handled this situation in a very abysmal manner. Ideally, the IPL along with all the franchises should have issued a statement to the Pakistan cricket board before the auction itself that they won’t be able to include the players in the auction as the franchises won’t be able to provide security for the players. Altleast by doing this the dignity of the players would have remained intact. No doubt that some clamor would have been raised by the Pakistan cricket board or even the government but atleast the players would not have felt humiliated.
Another loser is IPL the tournament itself. The fact that IPL projects itself is a fusion of cultures where there are no political boundaries, racial divide or religious conflicts have been contradicted by this very event. History is a testimony that cricket has played a pivotal role in bringing both the nations together. Whether it was the standing ovation for the Pakistan team after it beat India in Chennai in 1999 or the stupendous welcome for the Indian team when it visited Pakistan in 2004. IPL had the golden chance to recreate that magic but alas! They have dropped it… Even art & culture has been instrumental in bridging the divide. Bollywood movies and actors are a rage in Pakistan while Pakistani singers are admired by Indians…Art, culture and especially cricket have bolstered the warmth & affection between the citizens of both countries.
But if we start using them as tools for fighting a diplomatic war then the situation will deteriorate even more. And this is exactly what the terror groups in Pakistan & the rightist groups in India want. They want to create a situation where even people to people link breaks and creates more acrimony between the two sides.
The only silver lining is the stand taken by the Indian government which at least by condemning the handling of the whole issue has send the message that it is fighting a war against terrorists operating out of Pakistan not the people or cricketers of Pakistan…It’s high time that the likes of Modi look beyond commercial interest as that will enhance the reputation of Indian cricket & the sport itself….
IPL 3 might go on raking big bucks and once the TRP’s kick in the whole episode would be forgotten but no global cricket tournament is complete with out the representation of all the cricketing giants…The IPL sheen would be missing this time around thanks to the absence of Pakistani players…
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