The Ugly side of IPL has cast it’s Shadow yet again with the arrests this morning of Sreesanth and two other teammates of the Rajasthan Royals for Spot Fixing

IPL ~ Close it or Clean it

There’s too much as Stake to kill a Golden Goose ~ the Brand,the Franchise Owners Investments ~ so IPL commentator Harsha Bogle and BCCI President N Srinivasan said closing IPL  is not the solution ~ let’s strengthen the Cleaning Process instead and weed out what is bad about the IPL

Really ! Ironically and tongue in cheek  Cleaning IPL would reduce the stakes ~ would it not ! ~ and if the Rot begins at the Top,cleaning it would mean Closing down the IPL itself !   ~ ask Mr Unclean himself,ex IPL Commissioner ,Mr Lalit Modi who tweets that he has not created the IPL Monster but the Monster sits in Chennai !

Put the Fear of God in the Players ~ convict those arrested and Jail them says one Expert on TV News Channels

But what about putting the Fear of God into those who administrate the Game ! ~or are they God !?

My Clear Sense is that the Anti Corruption Unit of BCCI should have kept a tab on Bookie and Player Movements ~ how could they not realise that bookies were staying in the same Hotel as the Players in Mumbai ! ?

Another Vocal Panelist, a lawyer who is now a famous activist bluntly stated that the local police are the business partners of the bookies and it is they who give the go ahead to the bookies to go about their business !

A Film Director tweeted that like Horse Racing Betting ,even Betting in Cricket should be legalised ~ does he not realise the huge extent of Fixing that takes place in Horse Racing  !

I particular loved one response in the social media that exclaimed what’s the big deal that the player sells an over in spot fixing ! ~ Does not BCCI and IPL sell hundreds of Players in Open Auctions !

If the Delhi Police had conveyed last month itself  to the BCCI that they have these players and bookies under wiretap surveillance because they had leads on them,I bet this situation would not have arisen as these players would have been warned by someone ! ~ Deliberately and wisely the Delhi kept it under wraps from even the Anti Corruption Unit of the BCCI lest it leak out  ~ It was not a Joint Operation !

Of course Fans are cheated of a fairly fought game ~ seriously one of those who spend thousands to go for any one of the three games in which Spot Fixing has been detected and arrests made ~ namely  in Mumbai last night,or Jaipur or Mohali should take BCCI and the Franchise Owners to court accusing them of having failed in their responsibility to curb Spot Fixing and Corruption that resulted in them watching deliberate under performances,rather under-the-table performances in these three matches !

Where there are Obscene Levels of  Monies Involved and therefore High Stakes it will quickly breed a Fertile Ground for Corruption and Fixing  ~ IPL Cricket is no exception  ~ Tennis  & Premier Football leagues in the World  ~ all have been hugely tainted by Bribery and Corruption and rampant Match fixing and dropping Scandals

Now you must easily guess and realise why top Politicians head State & National Cricketing Bodies !

T-20,in my view, is formatted for sheer entertainment to bring in the crowds and popularize the game to a wider audience ~ the Game was  otherwise losing popularity worldwide in often boring 5 day test Matches that ended in Draws and even 50 Overs ODIs that were not as entertaining ~ Speed and Instant Nirvana are the two guiding Mantras ~ we want the big Hitters all the time ! ~ Purists hate this version and as for me I don’t hate it but am simply not enamoured by it as it’s more a Hit Out or Get Out Version and a budding Cricketer cannot truly hone his Cricketing Skills like he can in the traditional version  !

Actually My Prayers go out to the Rankha Family in Mumbai ~ they lost their 13 year old son a few days ago ~ he was kidnapped by his elder cousins for ransom but killed by them  ~ what conspired the kidnapping plan was that the cousins had to pay up for huge IPL Betting Losses  ~ what an irony if they had bet against the fixing bookies on the three matches under cloud of Spot Fixing ! ~ they could never have won!

And Mr Harsha Bhogle this is one of the serious bad sides of the IPL ~ the good side as you state are the livelihoods created for hundreds of middle class families by their IPL Cricketer Sons Earnings ~ but what about the bad side that involves the Underworld and has millions in betting and losing millions,in probably spot fixed matches and resorting to crime to repay !

Perhaps T 10 is next !

IPL Spot Fixing Scandal Erupts today  with Sreesanth & Two Teammates,Ankeet Chavan & Ajit Chandila of Rajasthan Royals arrested  along with Bookies and Foreign Players and other IPL Team Players too under the Scanner ~ Chandila has revealed that he was following Sreesanth’s instructions 

Perhaps Harbhajan should have done more than just Slapped Sreesanth in an earlier year and which had him in Tears ~ More to Cry now for Sreesanth if he really has indulged in Spot Fixing and received huge Sums of Monies from the Bookies !

Should be Fun reading what ex IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, who’s run away to London to escape from being arrested in India for IPL mismanagement and malpractices etc,has to tweet on this matter ! ~ his BCCI Powerful Friends have turned into Foes for him now !

Have been saying this for Years that Cricket is no longer a Gentlemen’s Game ~ Check earlier blogs on this as linked below  ~ have simply never been enamoured by IPL  and the way BCCI administers the game like a ‘Hitler’ ~and all because of  the Obscene Monies Involved that I believe has spoiled all involved in it too ~ from Cricketers and Administrators to Commentators and Owners and Associates that  includes  even Media Personnel ~ but I do love the Cheerleaders !  ~ and sadly even two days ago caused the murder of a young  Mumbai 13 year old by his cousins who had lost heavily in IPL Betting and had kidnapped him for ransom but killed him

……and you guys have been paying Thousands of Rupees to go see IPL Matches Live ~ now many of them under Cloud of being Spot Fixed !

….and all this bullshit ‘Zero Tolerance ‘ Policy by BCCI and IPL Franchise Owners is less to do with punishing perpetrators strongly and more to do with those who are exposing it !

Seems the Players being jailed in England for Spot Fixing has not really been a deterrent

Media Reports that a well known Overseas Player also from Rajasthan Royals is under the scanner ~ Check out the full 32 Member RR Squad for IPL 6 and the 10 Overseas Players in it 

Media Reports say that there is a video recording with the Delhi Police that  Ankeet Chavan had agreed  with the Bookies to Spot Fix and give away atleast 13 runs in  an Over in the 66th IPL 6 Match against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai last evening ~ He actually gave away 15 in the Third Over of the Match  with 14 coming of the first three Balls ! ~ he had Opened the Bowling for RR ! This is the Ball to Ball hitting by Glenn Maxwell off Chavan’s second and Innings third Over ~ Chavan was deliberately allowing Maxwell to hit ,so it is alleged ~ and here we were applauding Maxwell for the Two 6s while the Bookies and Chavan were applauding themselves and laughing all the way to the bank  for the deliberate bad bowling as had been agreed on before in Spot Fixing !  ~ Chavan has been with the RRs from 2011 and has played only 3 of the 15 IPL 6 Matches for RR this season

Just a coincidence that Mumbai won by 14 Runs ! scoring 166 and RR chasing to fall short by scoring 152 

• 02.6	A Chavan to A Tare, no run, 91.46 KM/H good length on middle stump. He goes hard at the ball, but straight to the fielder

• 12.5	A Chavan to G Maxwell, 83.30 KM/H good length going down leg. He picks up a single down to fine leg

• 02.4	A Chavan to G Maxwell, no run, 85.72 KM/H good length on leg stump. Straight to the fielder

• 62.3	A Chavan to G Maxwell, 82.25 KM/H good length just outside off stump. He hits a great shot for 6, that has gone all the way straight down the ground

• 22.2	A Chavan to G Maxwell, 80.89 KM/H good length just outside off stump. He picks up two through mid-wicket

• 62.1	A Chavan to G Maxwell, 75.27 KM/H short length on leg stump. He hits a great shot, 6 ! that has gone all the way through mid-wicket

A Thought  cannot escape my Mind ~ How do we view the fantastic record breaking and Match winning Innings of Gayle and Miller and Watson and Pollard in this IPL ? ~ in that they could not have done this without Spot Fixing and therefore being allowed to hit ! ?  ~ and they all won the  Man of the Match Award too !  ~ The Shadow is Cast Deep and Wide ! ~ and as ex India Pacer Atul Wassan comments on TV Channels ~ ” In our Cricketing Network  we know all this happens but I cannot give names as to who indulges in this and have got away too ! ~ This new Expose & Arrests is only the tip of the Iceberg !” ~ Well Mr Wassan,it is your Duty to come forward and tell the Police what you do know ! ~ or else you would be viewed as a passive accomplice or a guy who just boasts that he knows

Once Upon A Time Cricket was a Gentlemen’s Game…Now tainted forever with Match and Spot Fixing and Illegal Betting…my passion for the game has ebbed considerably

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Sting Operation on Matchfixing exposes current Pakistan Cricket Players……Cricket stopped being a Gentleman’s Game a Long Time ago….Racism , Matchfixing ,Corruption ,Nepotism,Selection Bias,ICC Bias…

Monday, August 30th, 2010

IPL Cricket Stink…providing a link to some bluntness

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Twitter Shashi Tharoor gets a Taste of Twitter Lalit Modi !

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Modicracy and Tharoorgate !…do you really expect them to be sacked!?….Tharoor may merely resign…Modi will not!

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Fixing in Football ~ Horse Racing ~ Cricket  ~ Cycling ~ Tennis ~ Olympics ~ Libor Rate

What about Stock Market Fixing !? ~ Nah ! It’s a rhetoric question !

Just Like when Footballers deliberately lose Matches ~Just Like when Horses are not allowed to run on Merit by the Jockeys ~ Just Like Spot Fixing in Cricket ~Just Like Steroids and Banned Drugs being taken by Competitors across Sports  for that  Unfair Advantage ~Just Like Tennis players throw matches for money~  Just like Olympic Athletes dope to outperform and win medals ~ Just Like influencing Libor Rate Setting to take leveraged profitable positions on consequent trends

So it is in Stock Exchanges  for that Unfair Advantage ! ~ Insider Trading ~ Stocks being allowed to run beyond merit ~Selective Punishment ~ Circular Trading ~Biased IPO Gradings ~ High Frequency Trading making a mockery of Research & Fairplay

ABBA Song says it all :

“I wouldn’t have to work at all, I’d fool around and have a ball…

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man’s world “

Till you’re caught ,that is !

Novak Djokovic of  Serbia just won the Australian Open Tennis Championship beating Andy Murray of UK in four sets 6-7,7-6,6-3,6-2~ losing the first in a tie break and then taking the next three ~his third consecutive Australian Open Title and four in all

Yesterday Victoria Azarenka of Belarus  also came from a set down and  retained her  Australian Open Tennis Title and World Ranking 1 beating China’s Li Na 4-6,6-4,6-3

BCCI is Mindless !  ~ allowing and in fact ensuring Indian Cricketers succumb to Mind Games in International Matches even at Home in India!

We lost away in England and Australia ~ in fact got thrashed !

We lost to England at Home  !

And Now we have lost to Pakistan at Home ! ~ Disastrous Batting and Not Penetrative enough Bowling ~ except for some stray performances !

All under Captain Dhoni and BCCI !

Sehwag takes the Catch in slips aff a Jadeja Ball and Wk Capt Dhoni runs off to celebrate with Jadeja ignoring Sehwag !…

…….and they call it the Dressing Room Divide !

The Divide  has been created by BCCI and Dhoni ~ a Superstar who’s unable to command respect from other superstars !

It’s all about Monies ! and the Arrogance and how Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely ! ~ you are in control to spend Billions of Dollars in the BCCI Kitty the way you want ! ~ why do you think top politicians head state cricketing bodies ! ~you create a hotbed concept like  IPL and run it like your fiefdom ~ This not only is corrupting young talent but also is affecting the game of  established Indian Cricketers who approach Test Matches and 50 overs ODIs with a T 20 mindset  and throw their wicket cheaply attempting uncalled for and rash strokes

I completely am in sync with the worry that  just retired Rahul Dravid voiced ” I’m more worried about the lack of Solid Batting Talent in India once the legendary powerhouses have all retired ! ~ Who will take their place !”

Who will indeed !

What can we do about it !

When Dhoni came onto the scene years ago in a fearless swashbuckling style with iconic long hair and helicopter strokes ,I became an Instant Fan ~ He deserved all the Adulation and Endorsements and Monies he made ~ but clearly the past few years all this has gone to his head and his game and captaincy has suffered ~ some of his on field strategies have been inexplicable ~ often a strong impression is felt that he simply does not care if we win or lose! ~ no fire in the belly ! no passion ! ~ that we saw in him when he burst onto the scene years ago ~ got him and Harbhajan Singh at the Town Hall Stamp Duty Office in Mumbai a few years ago registering property they had invested in now upscale Lower Parel area in Mumbai ~ Nothing wrong in such judicious Investments except that it creates an impression that riches from the Fat Fees from BCCI and State Bodies and IPL and ofcourse Big Endorsements and the hero worship by a cricket crazy nation has gone to their head and  led to complacency and underperformance  and taking their place for granted in the Team

Cricket is no longer a Gentlemen’s Game ! ~ The Patriotism,the Passion ,the Prestige to earn and own an India Cap…all diluted for ‘Paisa’ !

Sad ! Because Cricket was a my passion at one time ! played and captained the game at school,college and club high levels in the spirit it must be played ! ~ was a regular at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and could sit out all five days of a Test Match dissecting the game ball by ball ~ even gave shadow running commentary ~ tend to do this even now while watching a live game on TV ~my son,whose cricketing acumen too is splendid,thinks I should have become a Cricket Commentator !

I have seen how BCCI and the Politicians who head it  destroy and corrupt the Cricketing Culture and Spirit over the Years ! ~ one only has to look at how the State Cricketing Bodies and & BCCI Elections are held to conclude the rot in the governing and administration of such a lovely game ~ Match Fixing , Nepostism and Favouritism with State Quotas,Arrogance of  Administrators & Selectors

BCCI wants to take credit for all wins ~ it must take the responsibility too for all loss !

And one last Thought ! ~ am disgusted how ex test cricketers ,many of them who are now commentators,keep dropping judgements and opinions and changing them the way the wind and BCCI blows ! ~ for fear of losing lucrative contracts and powerful committee posts

These are your Godfathers of Cricket in India ! ~ and I don’t mean this kindly ! ~ one was found with Foreign Currency stashed away in his Club Locker many years ago and a wife who was involved in shady Gold Coins Membership Drive ~ and one who loves the Good Life and who’s been questioned for involvement by Enforcement Directorate in Currency Violations in IPL  and who’s wife has left him !

It’s a Question  of Propriety  ~ If it is suspect in Personal Life how do you expect practicing it in Cricket !

Cricketing Administration needs to be overhauled completely ~ did you know BCCI is not really the Government of India ! ~ and so the Indian Team selected by them is technically not an India Team representing our Country ! ~ Imagine the Minister of Sports commenting that he cannot interfere in BCCI as it is an autonomous body !

Dhoni wants an Eden turner from Day 1! ~ Methinks he wants England to win again ! ~ At Wankhede in Mumbai our legendary Batsmen came up Ducks against Swann and Monty made them do the Full Monty ! ~ while Peterson and Cook made our Spinners look pretty ordinary ! ~ and England levelled the Test Series 1:1 ~ a literal ‘Spin’ to the Story that India had prescripted !

Doctored Pitches and Insider Trading are two sides of the same coin !

I quite agree with Prabhir Mukherjee,the octagenerian Eden Garden Curator,when he terms Dhoni’s demand as “Immoral” ~last year when India beat England in an ODI at Kolkata he had countered Dhoni’s accusation that it was an ugly pitch by scoffing him “Pitches don’t score runs,Batsmen do !”

When Dhoni burst on to the Indian scene in swashbuckling style he had captured our Nation’s Imagination & Heart ~ I loved when he came on to bat and showed guts and a fiery spirit and demolished the opposition with unconventional strokeplay ~ he was swarmed with Endorsements and quickly became very rich and also an Influential Individual who called the shots at Selecting the Indian Team

All this ,in my view,doused his killer instincts and it showed in his strategies and ridiculous decision making on the field of play and prompted me to blog several times on this as I was really cut off with Dhoni ~ Check out my earlier posts on Dhoni that question his tactics

Dhoni seems increasingly disinterested….India all out for 296 after being 267 for 1 !…and then Nehra ensures we lose to South Africa who successfully chase 13 in the first four balls of the last over

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Dhoni blames IPL Parties and Poor Performance for India’s poor show at the World Cup T 20 !…you really need to seriously introspect ,Dhoni !

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

India Throw their Wickets and Throw the Super 8 T 20 World Cup match against Australia

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

India just short balled out of the ICC T-20 Cricket World Cup

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Dhoni Bashing because he’s not Bashing !

Saturday, June 13th, 2009

Why Football is Life and vice versa on Planet Earth ! ~ Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s incredible goal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Human side are inspiring ~ Both are Living and Currently Playing Legends along with Mesmerising Messi

Swedish Player Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s  out of this world Goal

An ecstatic and shirtless Zlatan Ibrahimovic after scoring an incredible 30 yard Bicycle Kick Goal for Sweden against England

Just check out this incredible Ibrahimovic’s fourth goal ~ he scored all four !~ for Sweden in a friendly which they won 4-2 against England the other day

Brilliant ! Phenomenal !Fantastic ! Unbelievable ! Stunning! Magical! Impossible ! Inspiring!Out of this World ! Only Possible in a Video Game!…………Yet I would rate this 30 yard right foot  Ibrahimovic scissor kick into the English Goal only second to Argentinian Legend Diego Maradona’s brilliant run from the half line through four or five or six English Players to score a brilliant goal just after his infamous ‘Hand of God’ Goal against England in the 1986 World Cup 

Portugal’s Playing Legend Cristiano Ronaldo shows his Human Side as a Loving Father 

A Rare Smile from Cristiano Ronaldo

Football Superstar Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has been perceived as arrogant and petulant on the pitch and it may have cost him the coveted Ballon d’Or to Messi all the three times they were nominated head to head for it ~ Ronaldo did win the coveted Prize in 2008 when Messi was not nominated

But in an exclusive CNN Interview with the World Sport Anchor Pedro Pinto,Ronaldo opens out and reveals his human side saying it was the best thing in the world to have a kid and to get up to see him and hear him say “Daddy”…he has even changed diapers though he prefers to shower his two year old and pour shampoo and conditioner on his hair ~ it’s more fun !  

Ronaldo should smile more Often says CNN’s Pedro Pinto

So who will win the Ballon d’Or this January 2013 ~ Messi or Ronaldo !? Both have had a glorious 2012 scoring record number of winning goals

For Me it’s Mesmerising  & Magical Messi ~ I’m a great Fan of his ! just love to watch him dance and weave through the Opposition and score or set up goals   ~ even though the CNN Interview and Pedro Pinto’s great comments for Ronaldo have softened me a bit for Ronaldo !

What about You Guys !? Who’s your Favourite ?

Match Stats of an epic Olympic Tennis Semis between Winner Federer and Del Potro

Watch Live going on the awesome Tennis Semis at the Olympics between Federer and Podro ~ it’s 9 all in the deciding third set,one set a piece

Awesome ~ A second Medal at the Olympics for India ~ Vijay Kumar just gets India a Silver in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Shooting Event

An Olympic 2012 Silver for Indian Shooter Vijay Kumar

Our Archers  in London either seem to be on a Holiday or are feeling terribly homesick at the London Olympics ~ instead of smashing Records there they smashed my car windscreen here in Mumbai !

My Car Windscreen Smashed

The Security Personnel at my Residence tell me that they did not hear anything but in the burst of wind and rain a small branch of a Tree in the garden had apparently collapsed and a big wood piece must have targeted my windscreen !

I’ve been arguing with them that the reason for the Windscreen being smashed are our Archers  at the London Olympics ~ they’re either in Holiday mood or they’re feeling terribly homesick that they are shooting all over the place with some shots even landing back home in India and one of which cracked my car windscreen in Mumbai !  ~ one guard even agreed !

!@#$%&*() Even our last Big Medal Hope and World No 1 Woman Archer,Deepika Kumari just crashed out in Round 1 losing to a Brit,Amy Oliver who scored a couple of 10 while it was a losing 8 and 9 most of  the way for Kumari

There’s nothing to really grin or smile about but what gets me is that I’ve observed that all our Men and Women Archers at  Team and  Individual Events keep grinning even while losing ! ~ I’m told it’s Therapy,advised by Sports Psychologists, to reduce tension and stress levels ~ for who ? the Archers or us ! ~ Making such a Conscious Smiling Effort to relax itself must induce anxiety !~ I’m also educated that it’s the swirling wind that changes arrow direction from a perfect 10 to 6,7 and 8 and even a 4 on the Target Board ! ~ True,but it’s an even playing field for all competitors ~ our problem is lack of consistency in High Scores ~ and a clear loss of nerves when it matters ~ Archery is more a Mental Discipline than others ~ and we lose it more often not !

I realise I am maybe a bit harsh, but I’m really angry ~ Archers and Shooters missing targets in London have cost me a Smashed Windscreen in Mumbai !