The punishment handed out by a Supreme Court-appointed committee to teams and individuals involved in the betting scandal that hit the Indian Premier League two years ago ought to be welcomed by cricket fans and all those who cherish the game’s purity. The Justice R.M. Lodha Committee has slapped a two-year suspension on IPL franchises India Cements Ltd., which owned Chennai Super Kings, and Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd., which owns Rajasthan Royals. The action is essentially based on the involvement of Gurunath Meiyappan, a CSK team official, and Raj Kundra, a former owner of Rajasthan Royals, in betting activity, and in maintaining contact with bookies. The committee has carried out the orders of the Supreme Court which, in a January 2015 verdict, directed it to fix the quantum of punishment for Mr. Meiyappan and Mr. Kundra, and their respective franchises. Few will lament the fact that the two men have been suspended for life from any kind of involvement in cricket matches organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), but there will be anguish among many cricket fans over the punishment meted out to two key teams.
One question that arises from the suspension of the CSK and RR franchises is whether whole teams, players, support staff and their legion of fans ought to be punished for the misdemeanour of two individuals. But the question is misplaced as the operational rules of the IPL and clauses in the franchise agreement clearly provide for the termination of a franchise for certain kinds of misconduct by team officials. The Mukul Mudgal Committee had found CSK clearly guilty of failure to ensure that its officials complied with the anti-corruption code, the operational rules and IPL regulations. Punishing teams for misconduct is nothing new in international sport. The scandal that rocked Italian football in 2006 led to even a top team, Juventus, being relegated and stripped of two titles. Mr. Lodha has made it clear that the spirit of cricket is larger than any individuals or franchises, or financial losses. In any case, the BCCI has the option to hold a fresh auction for the Chennai and Jaipur franchises, or let the affected players be bought by other teams. The outcome is not without significance for the BCCI itself. The entire episode had brought to light the manner in which it functioned as an opaque club of administrators who treated the game as their personal fiefdom, that suffered from obvious credibility deficit. Punishing those involved is one way to ensure that administrators reorient themselves firmly towards preserving the board’s institutional integrity. Such action is also vital to ensure the continued popularity of cricket.
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