All the happenings in India surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL) scandal is indeed a joke. While one court bans two IPL teams and its officials, another court acquits three cricketers who were alleged to have fixed matches, simply due to lack of evidence!
Now fans are left wondering who actually committed the crimes since everyone is claiming innocence.
So finally we may have to conclude that the biggest mistake was committed by none other than ardent cricket fans for wholeheartedly supporting the IPL despite being taken for a ride.
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, one of the India’s finest outswing bowlers, has been cleared of fixing matches after two years. If he is innocent, as the court has insisted, then whoever is responsible for destroying two valuable years of this cricketer’s career must be punished.
From the day Sreesanth was arrested, there were rumours that this pacer was framed. The Indian government must look into whether the career of a promising sportsman was deliberately trashed to ensure such an incident never happens in the sporting world again.
Sreesanth could have easily been made a victim because of the many wrongs he had committed both on and off the field. His poor temperament on the field and his penchant for late-night parties made him an easy target.
Police failure
On the other hand, if Sreesanth is guilty but has still escaped, or was wrongly accused, it exposes the inability of the Delhi police, whose credibility has been at a low ebb for many years. What more can one expect from a city where women are so unsafe that it is now called the ‘rape capital of India’?
It was shocking that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) immediately announced that the ban on Sreesanth stands without even bothering to give any credence to a court ruling. The BCCI has always believed that they are not answerable to anyone, be it any court or the government, and of late it has been paying the price for its attitude.
It is becoming increasingly evident that some intelligent manipulators are playing an excellent game to destroy cricket in India. Unfortunately, the Indian system today is not capable of finding the real culprits since money often silences the law enforcers.
It should be no surprise if another court ruling declares that no corruption has ever taken place in the IPL. After all, to date no one has ever been convicted of match or spot-fixing in India, and the tradition may continue making a mockery of the judicial system.
As usual, a few will laugh their way to the bank at the expense of the poor cricket fans. A rejoinder from the BCCI or a court that all match-fixers do not live in India can also be expected!
