IPL; Scams helped this game to become more popular

The Indian Premier League (IPL) or popularly called ‘India ka tyohar’ has begun with the expected pomp and show. And with the IPL 8 on, many of us are cheering for our favourite teams before the idiot box. But while we enjoy this season, IPL also reminds us of the murky business that cricket has become. But has that deterred the game from being the nation’s favourite?

“Let’s not get carried away. Yes, some of the stuff is not right for the image of the game. But there has been controversy in sports since 1930s,” said Ravi Krishnan, the former managing director of IMG South Asia, who went on to become the co-founder and CEO of Stepathalon, a global wellness company.

Substantiating his point, he asserted that the scam has hardly an impact on the game’s image. “Now when you say marred, there are more people, more viewership and more money in the game. So, where is the mar here?” averred Krishnan.

Krishnan reaffirmed that the IPL controversy that happened in 2013, did not impact the sport enthusiast. He clarified that people still love the game and everything it stands for. “It brings more people to the game and the game is on an upward trajectory. I agree match-fixing is not good for the game but at present, the game is bigger than anything else,” he stated.

It is worth noting that in 2013, IPL was embroiled in a controversy when three players from Rajasthan Royals- S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, were arrested for spot fixing. Later, Gurunath Meiyappan, the team principal of Chennai SuperKings was also arrested on charges of betting. Shilpa Shetty’s husband and co-owner of Rajasthan Royal, Raj Kundra too confessed to be involved in betting.

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