title news | Rubber Tyres --> Smooth Rides

Now with most of the heat from the IPLgate scandal dying down into small embers that may flare once more, some of the sound bytes that we , as viewers, heard on the news channels and came across in the print media was about the damage caused to the IPL brand. The IPL brand could have been damaged irreparably and the IPL brand has now become associated with sleaze. No self-respecting organization or individual would wish to be associated with a sleazy brand.

A brief history of the IPL and about Lalit Modi. However much Lalit Modi may parade his credentials as the IPL brand maker, a little peek at history will remind us that it was not the IPL that brought about a revolution in T20 cricket in India but it was the now defunct ICL (Indian Cricket League) that first introduced Indian viewers to the vagaries and pleasures of T20 tamasha cricket , though of course, it failed because the BCCI flexed its muscle and had all associated Indian and international players banned by the ICC since the tournament was not conducted under the auspices of the ICC. But the success of the ICL, in terms of television viewership, was a kick in the ass to the BCCI bigwigs and hence the unholy rush to have Lalit Modi launch the IPL and further hence have a hugely free hand in its running without any real due diligence either on the part of the BCCI or the IPL governing council. Interestingly, with the ICL shutting down shop, the ban on the ICL players was revoked and thus this edition of the IPL had the likes of Shane Bond and Ambati Rayudu plying their wares once more to a global audience.