Devil's Advocate: IPL has revived cricket, says Modi

SIMPLE GAME: IPL chairperson Lalit Modi says Indian cricket board loves criticism.

        

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Has the Indian Premier League (IPL) been a blessing for Indian cricket or the beginning of some of its most recent problems? That's the key issue Karan Thapar explored on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate when he interviewed the chairperson of the IPL, Lalit Modi.

Karan Thapar: There is no denying the fact that the IPL has been a money-spinner for the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). But how do you respond to the view that you have actually ended up damaging the quality of cricket in India and affecting to the detriment the attitude of young cricketers.

Lalit Modi: I have a totally different view to what people are saying currently. What we have done is bringing more people to cricket. What you are saying is by bringing more people we have spoilt the cricketers because they are being paid more, but on the other hand, a cricketer, or any other sportsman has a short life.

They were never paid according to what they were worth. Also, not many sportsmen were becoming cricketers and were going to other fields. But with T20 coming in, it has given them a livelihood.

Karan Thapar: You are saying that you have revived and rejuvenated cricket?

Lalit Modi: Without doubt. Absolutely.

Karan Thapar: Let me start with what critics say about you and the first point is the changing attitude of the young cricketers. The Chief Administrative Officer of the BCCI, Ratnakar Shetty says: 'You can see the change in the attitude and focus, which seems to have gone to things other than cricket. They are attracted by the Bollywood style of entertainment that is now part of these events, which is worrisome.' What do you say to him?

Lalit Modi: I think this is taken out of context. I have had a long conversation with everybody. People have just pulled out one of his sentences. But I will address that. At the end of the day, people who have played Test cricket over the years, those are the key cricketers and nobody can take their talent away.

Karan Thapar: But he (Shetty) is talking about the new people who have come in with swollen heads and are not interested in cricket but are enraptured with a good life.

Lalit Modi: But they will have the good life only if they are longed for. Tomorrow, the public will lose interest in them if they decline in terms of their quality or performance.

Karan Thapar: But the problem is long before they become good cricketers, they are spoilt by the good life. It's not just the money that is spoiling them; it is the image and the lifestyle.

For example, IPL teams are owned by Shah Rukh Khan and Priety Zinta, Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan hope to jump the bandwagon soon, Vijay Mallya is already there and so is Shilpa Shetty; they have extravagant launch parties. The focus is no longer on cricket and discipline; it's on the good life.

Lalit Modi: You are absolutely wrong. The quality of cricket that is played in the IPL is by far the best in the cricket matches that I have seen or for that matter anybody else has seen. The entertainment outside the ropes is only an add-on. It's the quality of cricket that creates the viewership, and not the add-on.

Karan Thapar: I am not questioning the viewership, I am questioning its impact on the cricketers. Take Manish Pandey as an example, the Hindustan Times says: 'after scoring a century in South Africa in the IPL, this young cricketer who has not even made it to national status yet, now refers himself as a celebrity, boasts about his lifestyle.'

Lalit Modi: I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I think if somebody has talent, he is being recognised and he is making money out of it or he is getting a celebrity status out of it.

Karan Thapar: How can one become a celebrity after playing just one round. Aren't you getting your values wrong?

Lalit Modi: If he rises fast, the climb is also equally fast. If you are not consistent in your performance day after day, it's going to hurt you very badly when you fall.