Sundar Raman should step aside
Nobody seems to have cared for the credibility of the Indian Premier League. And now that the name of IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman is also out in the open as one of those who was investigated by the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee, this is indeed traumatic for cricket fans.
When the Mudgal panel came out with its first findings in February this year, BCCI president N Srinivasan was forced to step aside by the Supreme Court. It made Sunil Gavaskar the interim BCCI president in charge of IPL affairs and the senior-most Board vice-president, Shivlal Yadav, was given responsibility for other affairs. The first leg of IPL 7 was held in the UAE because of the general election in India and the bandwagon then moved home.
Even at that time, a question mark had been raised against Raman, and Gavaskar was asked to examine his role. But Raman continued to discharge his duties even though activists like Aditya Verma kept questioning it. The eerie silence continues after the Supreme Court revealed on Friday that Raman was among those investigated.
For the Supreme Court to take his name in the same breath as Srinivasan, Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra is indeed shocking. Of course, Raman is well versed with matters relating to the IPL as he has been there since the inception of the league when Lalit Modi ran the event.
One doesn’t know why Raman is not doing the right thing by stepping aside – like his boss Srinivasan did – until such time that his name is cleared by the Mudgal committee and the Supreme Court.
It is expected that at the position of COO, the person works in the best interests of the company. In time to come, it will be interesting to see if Raman was involved in any misdemeanour.
In the case of Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, it is virtually clear they indulged in betting. The direct consequence of this is that the two teams they were involved with – Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals – could be scrapped from IPL 8. At this stage, levying fines and letting the teams off will not be enough.
The next edition of the IPL is less than five months away. Raman needs to stand aside immediately and a credible person needs to be appointed, as every fan who has enjoyed cricket and the entertainment in the IPL feels let down. There is a feeling of disgust that the COO is also involved in a scandal that has sullied the hottest property in cricket.
What happened in the Supreme Court on Friday was strange, where the names of three cricketers were inadvertently mentioned. After the names of England’s Owais Shah, West Indies’ Samuel Badree and India all-rounder Stuart Binny became public, there was a huge sense of disbelief.
At a time when there is intense speculation if names of other players will pop out, Binny seems the worst affected. The Supreme Court has asked for responses from Srinivasan, Meiyappan, Raj Kundra and Raman. At the same time it also made it clear the names of players are "being withheld".
Binny has done well for India in the limited opportunities he has got. He is still a part of the ODI squad and a probability for the 2015 ICC World Cup. He could be going through sleepless nights as there are no details of what exactly his position is in this whole mess. Logic demands that the player himself moves the Supreme Court and seeks a clarification, or he could be just kept hanging on for an uncertain period of time.
Now that the names of some cricketers have come out, it would be best if the Supreme Court throws more light. Whether they are going to be investigated or not and if they are guilty guilty of misdemeanours or not are questions which every cricket fan wants answers to.
The BCCI has not shown itself in good light. As India’s richest sporting organisation, it should be setting high standards of probity. It has not been able to do that so far. Srinivasan not wanting to leave his seat is understandable, as he was elected to that position. However, Raman is a paid employee and needs to step aside.