Mogambo isn’t happy

It all started when Mr. Subhash Chandra announced Indian Premier League. Though he had his own interests to start the league but he has send cat among the pigeons for sure. But Mogambo is not happy, why? Because he is feeling that he is going to loose his grip on Indian Cricket if he allows ICL. It doesn’t matter even if Mogambo’s brain child IPL has clones of ICL but Mogambo still is not happy.

Mogambo was thinking that ICL will not last for more then one tournament and the players who joined risking their careers will have no option but to bow down to him and he will re-employ them with more strict conditions. But matter of fact is IPL was started to counter the effect of ICL that means Mogambo was aware that it can affect him, but then why not they agreed with ICL in first place?

In this current era where entire world has become a village, Mogambo is living in past glory. No matter what wasted interests ICL has (earning money and plenty of it is the premier one off course) it is very much the truth that both the leagues can exist at the same time. The first season of ICL was a hit as second one is surely going to be a super hit. Living in Ahmedabad and looking at 35000+ crowed at once deserted to die stadium for not ones but thrice in one week, gives “be positive” signals to the management of ICL from which they can take heart from. My father told me, when he heard that nearly 40 000 people gathered to watch T20 match between the “home team” Ahmedabad Rockets and Lahore Badshahs (both inside and outside the stadium), that people of India like to see cricket, whether provided by ICL or ICC. No wonder his views echoed by Tony Greig in his commentary few minutes later.

I feel Mogambo is worried for nothing. As I have given example above, plus if we add enthusiasm for IPL as well, where will Mogambo going to loose money is out of my imagination? It was Mogambo who pressurized ICL’s sponsors to back out else face the consequences and not ICL. So the money or revenue loss is ICL’s concern and not Mogambo’s. The way Mogambo treated ICL officials in their first ever (probably the last ever) meeting was disgusting. What ever circumstances may have forced ICL to take birth, as a professional unit (though it is hard to explain what professionalism to Mogambo is), the treatment given to ICL by Mogambo was totally uncalled for. I felt great when Mogambo celebrated 25 years of our only world cup victory and called Kapil dev to cheerlead the ’83 team. But it seems that it was just an eye wash. The fiasco at coffee shop in Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai was just the proof that Mogambo is just trying to complete the formalities dictated by his “so called” boss ICC.

Before moving forward my few questions to Mogambo “Sir” and his chamchas. Can you ignore left arm spinner named Ali Murtaza (Delhi Giants) just because he is not playing for you? Can you ignore one of the best talented all rounder in Stuart Binny (Hyderabad Heros), just because he is not playing for you? Can you ignore T20 specialist batsman Ganapathy Vignesh (Chennai Superstars), just because he is not playing for you? Or, can you ignore Bhimarao (Ahmedabad Rockets) who fields ala Jonty Rhodes not only in cover (where Jonty used to field the most) but in “any” fielding position, just because he is not playing for you? How can you waste such talents by not letting them play for India, just because you don’t “authorize” some thing??

That is what situation for Mogambo is inside his own jurisdiction, but now things have started to go against his wishes in other countries as well. Few counties in England were furious because they were not allowed to participate in Champions League 2008 despite being in top position in their domestic T20 tournament. Reason? Because few of those counties “allowed” so called rebellions to play for them and earn during off season in their respective countries. The funnier thing happened when Mogambo gagged VVS Laxman not to play for Notts because there are few players playing for ICL originated from Nottinghamshire. Same thing told to Piyush Chawla (for Hampshire) and Ajit Agarkar (Worcestershire). Though VVS can now play for Lancashire. I feel it’s out an out attack on one’s professional life. None of the Indian players were preferring counties to their Indian duty, but still they have to abide by Mogambo and his contract. And what about those Indian players whom you don’t select despite of their good form and want to play for counties and earn money? Few counties have though dared and let all the players from ICL to play for them.

ICC was shell shocked when more then half of Bangladesh side revolted and joined ICL as “Dhaka Worriers”. Bangladesh Cricket is already in poor conditions and this was a body blow to them. Then came Arjuna in the picture, the old war horse from Srilanka. Under his temporary president ship SLC allowed ICL players to play for their clubs for this year. You bet Mogambo is furious. He has decided that bilateral series till 2012 (which was decided by ICC and not by Mogambo) will stand unconfirmed till he feels otherwise. Not only that the bail out package for SLC of USD 40 million will also be not approved.

One can laugh for hours for such foolish diktat by Mogambo. All the countries’ boards were stand united when ICL started Mogambo had sent messengers to every boards to seek help and support on this and now when those boards like Srilanka and Pakistan started to feel that ICL is not bad thing and it’s a professional league which can co-exists, plus they may loose their key players due to this they have started to soften their stands and Mogambo is now showing his true colours. He feels what he did to local players and sponsors he can do the same to other countries’ cricket boards as well. But he is forgetting that when those countries will started to differentiate between their own interests and Mogambo’s, they will not care what Mogambo is thinking and what he can do to them.

Srilankan board will come very hard on Mogambo very soon, one can sense that. Not because of the incident mentioned above but they already co operated IPL and cancelled their tour of England and if Mogambo shows this short mind ness of his it is not going to last for longer period of time. PCB has already started voicing in favour of ICL. The former captain of Pakistan and current captain of Lahore Badshahs, Inzamam-Ul-Haq has already met newly appointed PCB chairman and he has agreed with Inzi, it has learnt. We can expect more fireworks between two three boards even after Diwali is over.

As, I quoted my father in this article, people of India are mad after Cricket, they care hell about tags like “Official” and “Un official”, until and unless they have been offered quality cricket. Both IPL and ICL are offering highest quality of cricket and people of India are happy with it. Let the people (viewer) of India becomes “Mogambo” and not the BCCI. So we can always say “Mogambo Khush Hoova” after each IPL and ICL match is over!!

Stumps!!!

“Should there be only one government school in the country? What if some private schools come up and provide education to few more?”

Kapil Dev gets metaphorical as he argues the case for the ICL