ICL/IPL- Another example of Indian hegemony?

[Energon]

I'm interested in listening to what people have to say about the upcoming Indian League cricket system and it's possible consequences upon international cricket. There is obviously a lot of money involved, and that has all the prospective players in a frenzy. Now, I'm all for capitalism, but it seems like there will also be a negative outfall for other boards who don't have the resources to keep up with the BCCI.

Lets take this CA/PCB stand off for instance, one of the reasons the senior Australian players aren't motivated enough to go to Pakistan is because they can make more money playing for the IPL in the same amount of time; similarly Australian TV channels have already picked up rights for total coverage of Indian League cricket ensuring copious sponsorship funds (and a possible kickback to CA). This is obviously not fair to the PCB since they are unable to use any leverage to threaten CA of reprisals (financially speaking) which clearly indicates the lack of equitable ground. The financial burden of canceled tours is certainly a lot more critical for the PCB than it is for CA.

Other teams are also at risk of losing valuable players and prospective talent pools. With the amount of money that can be made by playing for a shorter duration, it obviously makes the task of playing for a national team run by an underfunded cricket board less attractive for some players, which in turn makes things even harder for said cricket boards. It also becomes a matter of player management. Would Shoaib Akthar dare to be so insulting to the PCB if he weren't guaranteed the riches of Indian League cricket? Would Shane Bond, Adam Gilchrist or Shane Warne have retired so early if they weren't in such high demand for their roles in IPL/ICL? Wouldn't Shabbir Ahmed have strived much harder to return to the Pakistan national side after serving his ban if it weren't for the offer he got from the ICL? The ability for cricket boards to keep their high profile players in line certainly gets diminished when the players have alternate options abroad.

Lastly, if the IPL does in fact end up becoming a big success it will further elevate the BCCI into becoming the uncontested sole superpower of the cricketing world and consequently decimate the ICC altogether, akin to what the USA has done to the UN.

There is always the hope that the BCCI learns to become a benign leader, but I would like to hear about what people have to say in terms of their possible hegemony.

 

[EagleEyes]

I personally thought that ICL was a big failure. It was a third class performance cricket vice and most of the audience who went to watch the cricket were lower class people (who wanted to watch the ugly gorey cheerleaders in their short clothes). I am just surprised that sponsers are even interested in them not just because of low audiences, but the inferior consumers purchasing capability. I personally think that loads of money has been poured into it in the begining to call it a big success, but as the time passes by i do think that all the money will be dried up.

I think that big organizations like PCB, BCCI, and CA should increase their salary to the players, and gain a qualitive advantage in regards to the stadiums and so on in order to cut down on these small leagues who obviously have gained the popularity due to the disadvantages of the big boards which are created by nobody but just by themselves.

As far as PCB is concered. I hope that it learns to develop its own league under the Pakistan Cricket Board to maximize the talent that can be put into the official Pakistani cricket team.. hence not just benefiting themselves (also damaging the counterparts) but the country itself.

 

[Energon]

IMO the ICL would have been a lot more successful if the BCCI didn't torpedo them to promote the IPL; which in itself is the best example highlighting the dangers of hegemony. The BCCI is so powerful that they can not only write new laws within India to favor themselves, but also arm-twist every other international board into making sure that no top performers ever get to play for their competitors.

Frankly I think the Indian supreme court needs to intervene. Obviously there isn't a single international body that can reign in the BCCI, it has to be done within India.