The picture looks oh so pretty. At least - that is what Lalit Modi will tell you.
Modi - the 'commissioner' of the IPL and BCCI supremo, can be seen in the background during the games. He tried to exemplify the modern Indian businessman. A shiny suit always accompanies a huge smile - but underneath the woolen blends and that ridiculously toothy smile is the same ol' stuff that Indians have been putting up with for generations.
In 2005, Modi figured in a power struggle that resulted in ousting former Indian cricket supremo and ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya in BCCI elections. To Modi's credit, Dalmiya himself was an inept and incapable head and had done his part in ripping apart Indian Cricket.
Now fast forward to 2008. Franchise's were created and auctioned off for millions of dollars, players auctioned for a another few millions. Suddenly we find ourselves watching the Mumbai Indians scuff it out against the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals beat up on Deccan Chargers.
So here we have a new blue ocean discovered by India's Bug Selig. But does someone stop to ponder - who is really profiting from this venture? The following excerpts are from a recent article by K Srinivas Rao from the Indian Express.
- Suresh Chellaram, one of the owners of the Rajasthan Royals through the consortium Emerging Media, is Modi’s brother-in-law.
- One of the owners of Kings XI Punjab is Mohit Burman of the Dabur family. His brother Gaurav, who is based in UK, is Modi’s step son-in-law. The team’s general manager Amar Bindra is the son of I S Bindra, who is slated to take over as principal advisor to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
- Bangalore team Royal Challengers is owned by Vijay Mallya, who is also the vice-president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and a member of BCCI’s marketing committee.
- Chennai Super Kings is owned by India Cements, whose vice-chairman and managing director N Srinivasan is the treasurer of BCCI.
