Plenty to learn as Formula One breezes through half its season

British driver Lewis Hamilton has jumped to a 47-point lead in the Formula One drivers' world championship after the Belgian grand prix, the 10th of the revamped 17-race calendar for 2020. Hamilton's Mercedes co-driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland lies third in the standings, a mere three points behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who is at second place with 110 points so far for the season.

Formula One got their Covid19 hit season underway in the first week of July with a double header in Austria and moving on to Hungary and then Great Britain before returning to the European continent. Six of the remaining nine races traverse through Italy, Russia, Germany, Portugal and Turkey with the three-race finale in west Asia.

The way F1 has gone about its business, without spectators in attendance, is indeed an eye-opener for the rest of the sports world. Rescheduling races and restricting a vast majority of the action to Europe seems to have worked. The Americas and Australia were the obvious casualties of the revamped race calendar but it showed the F1 management's resolve to take tough decisions.

Each F1 team comprises a fairly large group of people required for running a successful race. That it has been able to go through half the season without any mishap, both on the track and off it, is a lesson in these pandemic times.

Football in Europe too successfully completed its interrupted season but there was not much international travel involved with even UEFA's Champions League and Europa Cup competitions being played in a single country.

International cricket continues in England at select venues but the Indian Premier League still appears to be struggling to get its show on the road despite elaborate precautions for the event in the United Arab Emirates. 

Even the US sports like basketball and baseball have been anything but comfortable with interruptions for various reasons including a spate of Covid19 infections among participating teams.

No such trouble for F1 as they have vroomed through and look like racing ahead with the remainder of season, which is scheduled to end in Abu Dhabi on December 16 after a Bahrain double-header.

Obviously the F1 management and teams are doing something right to avoid any Covid19-related pauses or otherwise. 

Of course, empty stands have been a novel experience for all sporting contests world-wide post the global pandemic since March. And none barring F1 has managed to go ahead with the action without incident. 

After the Belgian win, Hamilton remains only two short of F1 legend Michael Schumacher's world record 91 victories, even as his Mercedes team look set to wrap up the 2020 constructors' championship rather early leading second placed Red Bull by a whopping 106 points. McLaren Renault languish third a full 196 points behind the leaders.

About time the sporting world took a leaf or two out of the F1 management book in order to skirt the pitfalls that the global pandemic has caused.

With IPL 2020 BCCI seems to have bitten off more than it can chew

The Board of Control for Cricket in India seems to be stumbling from one storm to another, almost floundering like a richly-laden schooner adrift at sea with a broken rudder and main sail. Its decision to go ahead with the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League appears to have only added to its woes.

The 13th edition of the IPL is scheduled for a September 19 start but BCCI has not yet published the match schedule for the 51-day jamboree in the United Arab Emirates. Not that it poses much of a problem since there are hardly extensive travel arrangements to be made by the franchises except booking luxury buses to the venue and back.

Neither is the telecast revenue dependent on the match schedule, except for the few dedicated spots each franchise reserves for its sponsors, which again is only a very small part of the extensive commercial scheduling involving an event of this magnitude.

There is no dearth of ad-hoc measures with regards to BCCI functioning. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly continues in his post of Board president pending the Supreme Court decision on the application to amend the BCCI constitution and allow the stylish left-hander to complete a full five-year term in office. Similar is the case of Board secretary Jay Shah.

With Board vice-president Jayesh George having quit in April itself to return to manage the affairs in his home state, there remains only BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal in his position without any debate among the top four elected functionaries. Not the most desirable state of affairs by any stretch of imagination.

And now as the IPL caravan headed to the UAE a dozen plus members from a single franchise tested positive for the dreaded Covid19 infection, yet again putting a huge question mark on the wisdom of going ahead with the tournament at all amidst the prevailing global pandemic.

There's precious little BCCI can do in this regard since it has already put in place the bio-secure bubble for each franchise apart from an extensive standard operating procedure for all concerned.

BCCI has indeed stretched its neck out for IPL 2020, finding a quick replacement when the original title sponsor was found unsuitable to continue in the prevailing circumstances of strained relations with neighbour China. 

Its nothing short of a miracle that BCCI, despite the massive loss of revenue due to the lock-downs and subsequent ban on sports events, has not yet imposed any pay-cuts on players and staff like several other cricket boards around the world.

But how long can this state of affairs continue, especially given that Ganguly and Shah are quite pragmatically shying away from taking any tough decisions that they may end up regretting later. More so since their position as Board officials hangs in balance.

All said and done, IPL 2020 would a test of survival for BCCI and a real tough one at that. And not even a ball has been bowled yet!

Barcelona board cannot escape responsibility for Lionel mess

It must have indeed come as a shock to the myriads of FC Barcelona fans right across the globe that their super star captain and the highest paid football player in the world Lionel Messi wants to leave the club.

Camp Nou no longer seems to the same place where the Argentine arrived as a teenager way back in 2001. At 33, the mercurial Messi has handed in a transfer request to the club board, with whom he has not really had the best of relations right through the 2019-20 season.

The 2-8 defeat at the hands of eventual UEFA Champions League winners Bayern Munich seems to be the last straw for the man who earned close to a staggering 100 million Euros per year at Barcelona through last season, making him the highest paid footballer on Planet Earth.

The Barcelona board seems to have taken Messi's presence at Camp Nou for granted, especially since the Argentine had let the June 30 deadline for free transfer pass without incident. Little did they realise that with an extended season due to the Covid19 pandemic, deadlines have lost all meaning.

So when Messi, through a recorded delivery and open content on Burofax, sent in his transfer request to move on from the Catalan club, it indeed sent shock waves not only in Spanish football but the entire football world! After all, Barcelona is the only club that Messi has ever played for in his entire senior career of 16 years.

Even though Barcelona are looking at a 700 million Euro pay-out, it could very well end up being only a dream since the lawyers will have to settle the issue and Messi, more likely than not, appears set to walk away for free. 

That even the appointment Ronald Koeman, the fifth Dutchman to take charge at Camp Nou, failed to hold Messi back hints to problems much deeper than his mere cold vibes with the last few men at the helm. Koeman follows a long line of Dutch coaches since Rinus Michels in 1971, followed by Johan Cryuff, Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard.

Each one of them provided the club with a fair degree of success but that doesn't seem to hold out any hope for keeping Messi back at Camp Nou. 

FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu may find it tough to defend his position once Messi leaves since the two are known to share a rather indifferent relationship. The only saving grace for Bartomeu would be to somehow enforce the 700 million Euro fee but that too appears rather tenuous with fans already clamouring for his resignation.

Sometimes decision-makers fail to fathom the true passion of fans who, without any doubt, form the cornerstone of any sporting outfit. So there is little surprise that views inside and outside the board-room hardly match at the moment. Since retaining an unsettled player, especially after the transfer request has been put in such a public fashion, may not really be a good idea, its all about cutting the losses.

Lionel Messi has grown up with Barcelona and if he leaves, it is bound to cause an upheaval at the club!

    

Spirit of gentlemen's game died with Bodyline series itself

With several weeks still to go before the first ball is bowled in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, the cricket world is engrossed in an interesting debate over Law 41.16 of the game.

The law states: "If the non-striker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to run him/her out."

And the opinion is sharply divided into batting and bowling camps, the former invoking the "spirit of the game" while the latter point to Law 41.16!

When modern advancement in technology has made, like much else in life, a contest of millimetres and television frames, the spirit of the game argument can well be thrown out of the window. After all when the Douglas Jardine-led England Test team employed the leg-side trap to curb the batting genius of Sir Donald Bradman it was well within the laws of the game to pepper batsmen with short-ptiched deliveries with Law 41 on unfair play yet to introduce the clause 41.6 regarding dangerous bowling.

If England could justify their action, why not the rest of the world!

Surprising that much debate followed the first-ever dismissal under Law 41.16 by late Indian all-rounder Vinoo Mankad when he ran out Australian opener Bill Brown in the Sydney Test ... when the batsmen did not desist to taking early starts despite being repeatedly warned by the bowler.

That the type of dismissal was nick-named after Mankad is a great dis-service to the man who served the game with plenty of distinction and can be easily clubbed as one of the early 'true" all-rounders in cricket.

After all now TV commentators can be heard screaming at the top of their voices that "the line belongs to the umpire" even as the replays are being cued up to decide on an appeal for stumping or run-out. And on more than one occasion, batsmen on the line have been rightly ruled "out" since Law 39 clearly mention the words "behind the line"

The root of the present debate lies in England player Jos Buttler being run out by Ravichandran Ashwin during the 2019 IPL game between Rajasthan and Punjab, the batsman had been warned previously. Interestingly it was Buttler's second such dismissal, the previous one having happened in 2014 during the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

Ashwin has since moved on to the Delhi franchise which he is expected to lead during the forthcoming IPL . What seemed to have stirred things up is former Australian captain and new Delhi coach Ricky Ponting's open disapproval of the method of the Buttler dismissal, invoking the spirit of the game!

Rather strange coming for a person who believed in playing the game hard and never gave not asked for any quarter!

Ashwin's rebuttal has been just as sharp. And quite rightly so, it seems, since the game of cricket is so much tilted in the the batsmen's favour anyway. So if  Ashwin asks for a "free ball" for bowlers if a non-striker is backing up too far, there's plenty of merit in the argument.

The Indian off-spinner suggests docking the batting side five runs if a batsman is dismissed off the free ball, much in the fashion of a free hit is allowed to batsmen after a 'no-ball' has been called for any reason. 

There are instances aplenty in international cricket when bowlers have stopped short of running the non-striker out when clearly out of the popping crease, some even having cost the team the match. At the end of the day, it's a fair method of dismissal and should never be taken out of the equation. 

As long as Law 41.16 remains on the statute books of cricket, there is nothing wrong in bowlers denying batsman the "luxury" of an early start, spirit be damned!

Online gaming is only betting by another name

The Board of Control for Cricket in India seems to be stepping from one slippery slope to another, especially as far as its most prized event, the Indian Premier League, is concerned. 

Soon after "re-negotiating" the deal with the Chinese company holding title sponsorship rights, it has handed the same for IPL to an online gaming company. 

The company's primary business is to encourage speculation online about performances of players in different roles. Not very different from what race-goers would do at a horse race ... place bets on the performance by different participants in each event!

While most state governments in India strictly ban betting in all forms, including sale of lottery tickets, it appears the company seeks to buy legitimacy for its operations by jumping on the IPL bandwagon. After all the IPL is the most popular annual single sport event in the country and definitely among the top 10 in the world.

There was a time in India when almost every state and Union Territory ran its own lottery business. But slowly it has all been canned  and road-side stands displaying lottery tickets are only a distant memory. 

Cricket has just about recovered from its brush with the betting industry, especially that seeks to control on-field activities to suit its bottom-line. Spot-fixing has been severely punished and, in recent times, even approaches by dubious persons connected with the clandestine world of betting have been handed exemplary punishment by the International Cricket Council.

Since IPL has been found to be a ripe candidate for plucking by the shady characters of the betting world, BCCI would have been better advised to steer clear of such alliances, especially at the very top.

At least till such time as betting on sports events gains legal sanction from the government, as is the case in quite a number of countries. IPL has been a pioneer in many ways for Indian sports, but this route is completely uncharted territory!

Awards delayed are awards denied indeed

It's that season all over again where sporting achievements are put to the ultimate test and national sports awards handed out as recognition.

Much like previous years, every list announced for the annual awards jamboree attracts its fair share of flak. Even though most are a mere shoo-in, its the few that become talking points which detract from the national recognition each awardee deserves.

And how could 2020, already having seen more than a fair share of turmoil and trouble thanks to the global Covid19 pandemic, could be any different.

Five names for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna appear a bit much, more so since the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games were last held two years ago and the Tokyo Olympics had to be delayed till next year. 

Of the five winners, only cricketer Rohit Sharma is a deserving candidate courtesy his string of three-figure knocks during the 2019 ICC World Cup in England. Rani Rampal has been picked for leading the women's hockey side to an Olympic berth at long last, apart from the Asian Games silver in 2018.

The remainder three are all being honoured for achievements in 2018 or even earlier.

Nothing wrong with that on the face of it since it falls within the four-year window set by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. But despite all the combined wisdom of the MYAS mandarins, it has become a trap that is difficult to circumvent. 

MYAS has set out a pretty linear points criteria for evaluation for each of the awards ... Arjuna, Dronacharya, Dhyan Chand and Khel Ratna! What defies logic and understanding is that each awardee must apply either individually or through the national sports federation concerned to be even considered for any award. 

Individual applications were permitted following complaints of NSFs dishing out awards recommendations as favours rather than working on pure merit.

But how can a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee apply for an Arjuna award for the same international achievement and get the nod too? This makes a mockery of the entire awards selection process. MYAS needs to take a fresh look rather than an ostrich-like approach which may avoid controversy but makes it a butt of jokes.

Since the international calendar is pretty much set, barring calamitous circumstances like the virus outbreak, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medals should get rewarded over the next year or two followed by Olympic Games performances. Even for sports like cricket and other non-Olympic disciplines, it has to be a strict two-year cycle.

It was indeed a breath of fresh air when four top class performances at the Rio Olympics were rewarded in 2016 itself when the triumph was still fresh. 

Yet another Olympic medal, and that too a gold, from Rio surfaces four years later! Should not the MYAS be expected to be alert enough to such performances which anyway should be draw automatic applause and recognition? 

But then where would Indian bureaucracy stand without red tape!

Between the run-outs Dhoni saved cricket from disaster

Mahendra Singh Dhoni remains as much an enigma today as he was 16 years ago when he stepped on to the international stage, his near-shoulder length hair garnering more attention than the first ball run-out on debut. That his international career should also end with a run-out in the ICC World Cup 2019 semi-final is a matter of pure chance!

Or is it?

The roller-coaster ride that is international sport seems to have played out in the full with this man from the hinterlands. But lest we forget Dhoni's run-out dismissals are only symbolic of the man who never shied away from a challenge!

When he was handed the reins of Team India in the autumn of 2007 for the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup, it was perhaps for the first time in over a decade that the national cricket team was leaving the shores without the famous trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. 

This on the back of a rather forgettable ICC World Cup earlier in the spring.

In fact, the world cup which saw the sad demise of then Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer nearly pushed international to the brink. Both India and Pakistan failed to progress beyond the league phase leading to falling television ratings and much speculation among the die-hard fans.

Obviously credibility was about to hit rock-bottom yet again after the match-fixing saga of nearly a decade ago. It all returned to haunt cricket as revenues fell and cricket players were viewed with suspicion.

In this backdrop Dhoni began his tenure as India captain, having taken over from Dravid for the bilateral series of 50-over one-day internationals against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. And his T20 debut as skipper was a wash-out against Scotland in what was to be India's only second ever 20-over international game.

Team India went on to win the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup under the leadership of Dhoni, virtually laying  the foundation for the cash-rich Indian Premier League the following year as cricket sought to straddle the sporting as well as entertainment spheres.

To do it with aplomb was Dhoni's style as he strode like a colossus not only in the T20 arena but went on to lead India to further successes in the 2011 ICC World Cup (50-overs) and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

That he bridged the gap between the Tendulkar and Virat Kohli eras would be under-valuing his contribution to the cause of the game, which he will continue to play for his IPL franchise. 

Re-igniting the love for cricket among the fans when it was at its lowest was what Dhoni did in 2007 in South Africa. Not enough credit has been given to Captain Cool for this unique and singular contribution to international cricket even though history is bound to remember the long-haired wicket-keeper batsman from Jharkhand as a man who helped bring the fans back like no other!

Falling short of the crease may have been Dhoni's fate at the start and end of his international cricket career but he was one who never let the game down! In fact he singe-handedly gave back international cricket the much-needed credibility!

Unsung Raina walks into sunset with century in every format

A left-handed middle order batsman, a useful right arm off-spinner and a sharp cover fielder ... That just about sums up Suresh Raina who chose, without any fanfare, bring the curtains down on an international cricket career that was launched in 2005.

Raina's last appearance for Team India was in July 2018 away in England, a clear indication that selectors were no longer keeping him on the radar.

There was something unique about the man born virtually in the shadow of the national capital, Muradnagar in Uttar Pradesh, that despite an international century in each of the three formats of the game Raina spent most of his time fighting to emerge from the shadows!

Making 226 appearances in the 50-over one-day internationals is by no means a small achievement in itself. Add to that 18 Test matches and 78 T20 internationals and the utility man of Indian cricket emerges as a team person all the way.

Panned by critics for a perceived weakness against the short ball, Raina never really could erase it altogether despite facing up to some of the quickest in the business. Perhaps his humility did not allow the stylish middle order batsman to come out and answer his critics with an "in your face" attitude. And how well could he hit the cricket ball is brought to the fore by his stellar knocks time and again, pulling Team India out of a hole with great regularity.

The same simplicity that marked his international career seems to have served him well in the Indian Premier League where he has been with his Chennai franchise since 2008. 

First player to score more than five thousand runs and also the first Indian to hit more than a hundred sixes in the IPL along with almost a hundred catches underlines the value an unsung Raina brings to his franchise.

Little wonder Chennai fans have named him "Chinna Thala", of course "Thala" being reserved for the one and only Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Both will continue to don the yellow Chennai uniform and hopefully delight their fans with more fireworks, with the worry and weight of an international recall off their back.

And should it be a surprise that the same Dhoni once again overshadowed the retirement of Suresh Raina by preceding him a few hours!

Unsung hero, may be but Raina is anything but a forgotten one!

Indian Premier League has always been about creating fresh avenues

Since its colourful launch in 2008, the Indian Premier League has taken the cricket world by storm. Of course, the success of the Indian team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni a year earlier winning the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa provided a solid launch pad for the tournament. So much so that every cricket-playing country now has its very own 20-over league providing packaged entertainment complete with fire-works.

IPL was packaged on the lines of the American sports league, including its very own commissioner. Obviously the commercial aspects needed to be carefully considered but the seeds had been sown.

And the success story of any sporting contest is not just on the tried and tested being able to deliver but the rise of fresh new talent.

Inaugural season winners Rajasthan paraded an exciting young opener from Goa, a state more know for its football, music and seafood. Swapnil Asnodkar stood all of five feet five inches in his socks and striding out with then South African skipper Graeme Smith, who stands several inches above six feet, indeed made the long and short of it.

Asnodkar's season average of 59.71 in his seven appearances for the ultimate champions catapulted the Goan to heights of fame the opener had never even imagined.

Every team has its own complement of "net bowlers", and its here that several new names have popped up. Mohit Sharma, now a regular in the Chennai line-up, started as one. So did Navdeep Saini, part of the Bengaluru franchise and also served as India's net bowler in the 2019 ICC World Cup in England. That is one step away from international selection.

IPL 2020 promises to be hardly different as each franchise is permitted a complement of 10 net bowlers, whose job mainly is to prevent unnecessary fatigue to the front-liners without denying enough practice opportunities to the batsmen. The restrictions have become necessary due to the Covid19 pandemic which has forced the IPL to foreign shores in the first place.

Several franchise owners, however, are reported to be not too keen on the full quota of 10 and would like to put to use some of the talent available in the United Arab Emirates itself. Obviously the stock would be of south-Asian origin but the chance to bowl with the some of the best in the world could certainly go a long way in honing their talent.

UAE must not miss the opportunity as several of these net players could, in future, may become available for international duty for them. Its a chance to improve and rubbing shoulders with the creme de la creme must not be wasted!

Ex player as BCCI boss certainly looks at things differently

Without a doubt, the primary responsibility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is to run the game in the country. Obviously the game of cricket cannot be played without participants, who form the key ingredient of the eclectic mix that unfolds on the sacred 22 yards in the middle of a fairly vast expanse of green.

Even as the game and its popularity in India rocketed sky high since the famous 1983 ICC World Cup triumph, players received rather lukewarm treatment from the BCCI, almost like a necessary irritant that must be suffered. Remunerations for international cricketers was nothing to write home about till a few years ago and with brand endorsements unheard of except for the lucky handful, sports was a fair distance away from being a profession.

Things began to change slowly and international players soon began to be rewarded with graded central contracts which made cricket a viable option to make a living. 

And now former India captain Sourav Ganguly, in his present capacity as the BCCI president, has made the best possible move to make a similar offer to the hundreds toiling in the domestic circuit. After all the strength of domestic cricket reflects in the talent on the international stage and the nursery certainly needs to be looked after.

It took a pandemic to make the BCCI wake up to the struggles of the domestic cricketer but better late than never. The Board has to now work out the modalities of implementation through the member state associations who are the direct "employers" at the domestic level.

The first step states need to ensure is their adherence of the new BCCI constitution that was drafted and implemented though the Supreme Court of India. Of course, there are proposed changes awaiting ratification by the SC, most importantly the states need to be seen as serious about following the new charter.

Domestic cricket forms the backbone of the supply chain and the success of players from Tier II and Tier III towns has made the toiler dream big.

And why not? After all, performance has been rewarded handsomely in the past and will continue to do so as long as India wants to remain a top contender in world cricket.

States, however, will need clear guidelines on the contracts / retainers rather than have them doled out as favours. Since money will come directly from the BCCI coffers, the board must maintain a strict vigil against its misuse. Domestic contracts cannot be used a favours by states for its chosen few but must be a reward for consistent performance as is the case with the international players on central contracts.

The lot of the domestic player is bound to start looking up and that is sure to make playing cricket even more lucrative. Even if a player were to miss international selection, performances at the domestic level will carry its own rewards. 

Just or not may be left for the future to judge but at least its a promising start.

Circa 2020 appears to be only about cutting the losses

The Covid19 pandemic is slowly and surely taking its toll on the world of sports!

Whoever heard of a tennis grand slam event without top stars even as the US Open must carefully weigh the consequences of the withdrawal by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. 

Chances of any quick resumption of the men's ATP and women's WTA tours looks bleak as severe restrictions on international travel is keeping players at home.

And tennis is not suffering alone. Badminton and table tennis, where the real stars come from Asia, have been in suspended animation since March! Worse off are the contact sports like boxing and wrestling where there hardly seems any light at the end of the tunnel.

Football has managed to chart a rather safe course so far. But not without its own share of hits! National leagues have been completed before empty stands and now the UEFA Champions League has made its remaining knock-out matches single leg affairs. The games are all being hosted by Portugal to cut down on travel by clubs as well as reduce the exposure for players.

Cricket in England too has taken baby steps towards resumption but nowhere near normal.

And the Indian Premier League will be played in the United Arab Emirates even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India mulls various options for domestic cricket. Even as the BCCI explores avenues, there is already talk of the 14th edition of the IPL getting affected with franchise owners reluctant to go in for a fresh round of player auction barely a month after the 2020 season is completed. 

Sponsorship worries plague the 13th edition even though former India captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly insists its "only a blip rather than a full-blown crisis". Money matters are tough to handle given the present uncertainty in the global economy. So the confidence of a BCCI top shot is soothing indeed..

USA stood apart with each of its leagues taking a different route but some coming a cropper! While basketball opted for a bio-secure environment in Orlando, Florida, to try and complete the 2019-20 NBA season, ice hockey suffered as NHL teams were slow off the blocks and play-offs without hiccups seems pretty unlikely.

Baseball has had its share of cancellations with MLB teams not spared by the pandemic. And grid-iron football has been put on the back-burner for the time being as the decision makers discuss the risks with all stake-holders.

Professional golf too has seen a depleted field for its Majors but teed off regardless as players were expected to keep themselves healthy. As each weekend passes by, PGA continues to count its losses but keeps ploughing on in the hope of a better tomorrow.

The Olympic Games in Tokyo scheduled for July-August 2021 may find it tough to keep its date with destiny even as the entire world struggles to stay alive and clear of the virus infection. Its more about survival rather than excellence ... cut the losses while you can!

Running on auto-pilot BCCI continues to make waves

It is nothing short of a small miracle that the Board of Control for Cricket in India continues to function the way it does, despite having lost most of the leading functionaries. 

Since April, it has been one exit after another, sometimes voluntary and at other times forced by circumstances.

Mahim Verma resigned mid-April as the BCCI vice-president to return home and take over as secretary of the Uttarakhand Cricket Association. Next was BCCI secretary Jay Shah whose tenure ended in the third week of May when he completed six straight years in office at the state and national level combined, necessitating the mandatory three-year cooling off period.

A similar fate awaited former India skipper Sourav Ganguly when he too came under the six-year moratorium. That left treasurer Arun Dhumal as the only legitimately elected member on the BCCI apex council, the rest being nominated from outside.

This, of course, is subject to the Supreme Court review of the December resolution of the BCCI general body which seeks to separate the terms served at the state and national level  rather than be clubbed together as is the case at present.

Besides the elected personalities, July also saw the resignations of chief executive officer Rahul Johri and general manager cricket operations Saba Karim, a former Ganguly teammate in Bengal and India.

With the BCCI appearing headless and consequently rudderless, it is quite an amazing feat that it has so far smoothly sailed through the troubled Covid19 times. 

Quick to seize upon the International Cricket Council's announcement suspending the men's T20 world cup in Australia, BCCI announced the holding of the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates. Without any official clearances then but with the confidence that it would be able to pull things off, everyone was slowly but surely brought on board.

Then came the fiasco about Chinese phone manufacturer Vivo as IPL's title sponsor. That too was deftly dealt with by suspending the contract for one season without any penalty to either party, thereby side-stepping any unseemly controversy following popular outcry in the country after the deadly trading of blows between the Indian armed forces and the People's Liberation Army of China on the line of actual control.

Search is on for a suitable replacement for IPL 2020 and BCCI has clearly indicated that it would be happy to settle for anything close to half of the Rs 440 crore that Vivo would have paid if it remained on board. 

Such is the confidence that even with less than two months to go for the mega event to kick-off in UAE on September 19, and franchise owners looking to extract the maximum benefit from the beleaguered BCCI, it all appears to be smooth sailing so far, with acting CEO Hemang Amin of Gujarat in the hot seat.

It certainly is an amazing feat achieved by a national sports governing body that is without several top functionaries. Such is the clout that BCCI enjoys both within India and abroad that there seem to be few hurdles in ironing the creases along the way till things settle down finally after the much-awaited SC review.

Hats off to the people who can make it happen!

BCCI smartly avoided penalty from Chinese sponsor

The Board of Control for Cricket India has managed to pull off a coup de grace vis-a-vis its dealing with the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League! 

Rather than bow immediately to negative public sentiment and drop the Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Vivo following the Galwan Valley clash between the Indian Armed forces and the People's Liberation Army of China, BCCI moved along in a measured manner to try and re-negotiate the Rs 4,000 crore deal.

Annual pay-out by Vivo was worth approximately Rs 440 crore, and if BCCI wished to cancel the contract in the present scenario, it may have ended up paying a penalty to the sponsor. Instead BCCI, despite being without a regular chief executive officer at the moment, brought the sponsor to the negotiating table and made an offer that Vivo found tough to refuse.

Given the widespread outrage in India following the unfortunate incidents on the line of actual control, Chinese companies are not really the favourites in the market. Vivo knew very well its investment would hardly pay dividends since the public was anyway looking elsewhere.

It suited both parties to agree to a one-year moratorium on the title sponsorship deal with neither side being penalised. 

Of course, BCCI has been left with the unsavoury task of looking for a new title sponsor within a short period of time. And given the depressed economic scene all round, it would only be a brave company that would agree to cough up the true value of a hugely popular event like the IPL.

Faced with the tough challenge, BCCI officials have shown mature handling of the situation and have, so far, refused to buckle under pressure from the franchise owners to get a title deal in place quickly, Instead it has chosen to go the rather time-consuming route of seeking  expression of interest so as to make the entire process transparent and leave little room for doubters to drag things to court.

Anyway, Vivo was reported to be unwilling to pay the full amount in the present circumstances and wanted to renegotiate. BCCI played its cards close to its chest and made sure it had a win-win deal by extending Vivo's contract by another year and neither side would hold the other liable for any breach.

Sports administrators elsewhere have a lot to learn, as has so often been the case, from BCCI's market savvy ways!

North-east region deserves special attention from sports ministry

The decision of the Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju to create a separate north-east zone for the proposed football talent hunt scheme soon to be launch by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in conjunction with the Sports Authority of India and the All India Football Federation is laudable indeed.

It goes without saying that the conglomeration of nine states is a gold-mine for sports talent. And its true right across the board ... name the sport and north-east would have a path-breaking contributor.

Usually clubbed in the East zone for all practical purposes, the region has suffered great neglect in most aspects of life, not merely sports. One of the major causes for this is the tough terrain which makes a fairly large part of area nearly inaccessible. Despite improved rail and air connectivity, travel in the region remains tough, making it a mystery and hence deserving special treatment.

Nagaland leads the young footballers from the region by becoming the first school team from the north-east to reach the final of the prestigious Subroto Cup football tournament way back in 1967. Thereafter teams from each of the nine north-east states has at least once reached the title round of the world's only tournament of its kind. But the wealth of talent that the region possesses never translated into reality.

Was it lack of opportunity or merely the general laid-back attitude of the people of the region is a tough one to decipher! But the fact remains the talent present in the region never got the play it deserved in any sport, not just football.

Through the now successful initiative Khelo India, the MYAS seeks to right this and guiding the desire to change is a man who would know the region almost like the back of his hand. A native of Arunachal Pradesh, sports minister Rijiju has indeed realised that any talent search in the region needs a special drive. His understanding of the logistical issues, among other things, would be able to provide a sincere boost to the efforts.

North-east no longer needs to be neglected area of the country. Guwahati may have been the gateway to the north-east but that may no longer be true in the years to come as more and more bright talents dot the national spectrum in the sports arenas.

A start has been made. Now the follow-up needs to be sincere. Otherwise it will remain yet another praiseworthy initiative that failed to deliver!

About time BCCI realised one size does not fit all

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has made a rather brave effort to issue the comprehensive standard operating procedures for resumption of domestic cricket, as and when the conditions permit.

The hundred page document outlines the safeguards needed before the upcoming domestic cricket season gets underway. And most hearteningly, the BCCI has agreed to provide all resources to state associations in order to avoid any slip-ups. 

While the appointment of a chief medical officer for each member unit is laudable indeed, some caveats like the age bar on coaches appears to defy logic. 

Coaches come in all shapes and sizes, and some are fit enough to put to shame persons almost half their age. Its about physical fitness and not the number in the age column that should be the determining factor in the such appointments.

After all, its the coach's brain and his analytical as well as communication skills that come into play rather than his physical condition. The ability to spot those little flaws in technique and polish the rough edges is what coaches at the first class level need to do. Tactics and playing strategy is another area where coaches do have a huge contribution to make. And none of these can come without experience.

Rather than a bar on people who have spent six decades or more on Planet Earth, it may have been better handled with an advisory to check on the health condition before making these appointments. The BCCI owes it to the younger lot to give them the best brains to hone their talent!

Another area where the BCCI seems to have gone overboard is the amnesty scheme for age offenders. Under the present missive, there is a one-time amnesty being offered to those that had made false claims about their age without any penalty. Of course, any offender caught thereafter by BCCI faces an automatic two-year ban from cricket at all levels.

Praiseworthy on the face of it, but the amnesty need not be blanket. In the present scenario only those no longer eligible for age-group competitions are likely to step forward and confess. This will hardly help clear the malaise that affects not only cricket but almost all sports disciplines right across the board. And neither is the problem unique to India but is a global malady indeed.

Rather than full amnesty, a rap on the knuckles, like a financial penalty, may help deliver a better message to the budding cricketers. And thereafter, falsifying age should earn a harsher penalty than the mere two-year ban. Something like a life-ban on national selection would help deliver the right message down to the grassroots.

Given the current uncertainty over all things normal, the SOP also appears to be 'work-in-progress" for BCCI, which has even envisaged virtual monitoring of rehabilitation and injury management of players by the Bengaluru-based National Cricket Academy.

It would indeed help the cause of the game if BCCI made more constructive suggestions to member states rather than throw binding conditions for resumption of domestic cricket. 

IPL 2020 in UAE will be less stressful for all

The Indian Premier League awaits final clearance from the government of India to hold its 2020 tournament in the United Arab Emirates. Given that the Covid19 pandemic is showing little signs of abating in India and international travel suspended, barring a few notable exceptions, the permission all but remains a formality.

There has been plenty of discussion on how different and safe would it be playing in the UAE. Or is the Board of Control for Cricket in India putting all concerned at risk just for the sake of making money? 

BCCI did not force the cancellation of the International Cricket Council's T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in Australia. Yes, it was quick to grab the window of opportunity and wisely chose UAE as the new venue when things appeared tough on home turf.

Franchisees when presented with the choice of no IPL or IPL abroad, without batting an eyelid, picked the latter since it meant the season would not be a complete wash-out. Players would be paid, may be a re-negotiated amount, given the higher costs involved in playing outside India. But one of the biggest savings for each franchise would be the complete absence of travel requirements since all three possible venues are within easy driving distance. 

Yes, the squad may have to be picked wisely since flying in replacements at short notice may not be possible with strict quarantine and isolation rules in force.

In fact, the Emirates Cricket Board appears quite upbeat ever since it was sounded out by BCCI of the intent to hold the IPL 2020 on its turf, subject of course to government permissions. And one of the most positive moves by the Emirates board is floating the idea of allowing spectators to attend the games, looking to fill anything between 30 and 50 per cent of the stadium capacity. 

Once again the UAE government will have the final say but the move is certainly praise-worthy since it could be the first sporting event not held behind closed doors since mid-March.

Great news for franchisees indeed since hospitality earnings would certainly help in balancing the books. 

Conditions for cricket in UAE are hardly likely to be very different from India. In fact there are more variations in temperature and ground conditions within India itself - Mohali and Delhi see dew by September-end, while rains could be a possibility in Bengaluru and Chennai by end-October.

Very little variations in weather conditions appear likely between September 19 and November 9, a usually dry period in most of West Asia.

Pitches, though, could be another story. For the IPL format of slam-bang cricket, it may not really count for much except that towards the business end of the tournament, pitches could be worn-out a fair bit thus making it tough to play strokes. But contests are more likely to be even rather than giving any side home advantage.

Airports at Dubai and Abu Dhabi provide for better connectivity for international stars that are eagerly looking forward to be being part of the nearly two-month jamboree, making it a win-win situation for all concerned.