Friday, July 18, 2008

Am I allowed to watch cricket?

I saw Kapil Dev in Chepauk, now he is in the ICL - please, can I continue to watch Indian cricket?

Link

On second thoughts are all the current Indian team members allowed to play? They played for counties which now has ICL players? Sachin played for Lashings recently - can we find an ICL connection...?

Isn't this ridiculous?

7 comments:

Anil Singh said...

I have a different take on this important question.
Why did Subhash Chandra started rival league? ...for the development of Indian cricket or Indian cricketers?
The answer is--he wanted to earn money out of cricket's popularity.
The cricket progressed after that, is one of the by-products.
The primary motive was the money.
But before you get me wrong--there's nothing wrong in this, afer all everyone has the right to earn.
Another question is: Why the ICL actually materialised?...as at that time the people associated with it were confident that they can challenge the BCCI's position.

But now the situations have totally changed, the tussel b/w the two has assumed the form of business battles.Which was inevitable, considering in mind the money at stake!
So the smaller entity, i.e. the ICL is losing its feet.

Kapil Dev, if his achievements are kept aside, is a shrewd businessman, who knows how to rattle the sentiments every now and then.

Microsoft was blamed by Netscape for monopoly violations for long time. All the browser makers who, found it hard to get a share in the browser market grouped together against Microsoft.
But people kept on using Microsoft's IE. The scenario remained the same. Then one fine day a better browser, Mozilla's Firefox came and with its competitive business, disembarked microsoft from the throne.

Similarly, if ICL thought it can compete with the Giant, then it should do it in a competitive manner. Develop infrastructure, give better pay packages to its players and woo better players.Bring an ICL which is more entertainig than the IPL. there's no reason why they can't get a good share of money involved with cricket

RS said...

@a bisht: nice analogy with Firefox :-) I agree with you mostly especially on ICL improving its business model (however to facilitate competition, there was some government pressure - here there is no support for alternate options).

I don't find anything wrong with BCCI banning its own players saying if they participated directly in ICL they cannot be considered in their selections (non-compete of sorts). But to forbid them from competing in another recognized event because those teams choose to employ ICL players, I feel is not going in the right direction (especially given the power BCCI wields).

straight point said...

pepsi workers are not allowed to wear red t-shirts in office...coz that reminds them of coca cola...and vice versa...

RS said...

@sp: joking, I hope??

straight point said...

no seriously...

Anil Singh said...

To add to what SP has said, a truck driver on Pepsi payroll, when caught drinking Coca cola one day, was relived of his duties with immediate effect.

RS said...

Oh well, then BCCI comes across as magnanimous... But while companies can specify what is allowed during office hours/premises, they cannot control what they do outside it. Maybe the issue is that there is no neutral body that will give the ICL a fair chance.. Unless players are close to retiring, they won't take up ICL. Also ICL needs access to multiple grounds - which BCCI won't allow.