In this Idea Exchange, Arun Singh Dhumal, Chairman, Indian Premier League, talks about the scope of Women’s Premier League, how player injuries have nothing to do with IPL and dealing with the world of betting and fantasy leagues. The session was moderated by Senior Assistant Editor Devendra Pandey.
Devendra Pandey: Was there a concern on behalf of the BCCI on how the market would react to the Women’s Premier League (WPL)?
We were never in two minds about it. We weren’t able to start earlier because of Covid. And given how our girls have performed over the last couple of years, be it the Commonwealth Games or the Asia Cup, they have done a phenomenal job on the field and it was the right time to start with this league. I would not like to name any other leagues, but we have seen franchises go to other leagues, where there is nothing so to say, right? We have given them an opportunity back home for a better investment, and they have taken that.
Devendra Pandey: What’s the response to the WPL been like? You must have met parents talking about their daughters trying cricket. Have you seen that change in perception?
हांसी ब्रांच नहर में बहकर आई मृत्त गाय गौभक्तों व पुलिस ने संयुक्त आप्रेशन चलाकर गाय को निकाला
With the kind of bandwidth and reach it has given, we now have girls coming from varied backgrounds. We also get to hear stories about how they worked to make it to the WPL and state teams. That is an inspiration to all. Now that they have this platform to make it big, it’s evident that they are ready. We had slots for girls coming from associate countries and some of them have done very well, including from Thailand and Nepal — countries that haven’t done very well in men’s cricket but are now doing well in the women’s game. It’s an opportunity for them and for our girls coming from the Northeast, Himachal Pradesh or some other states, where the infrastructure is not that great.
In case we have to see longevity for a cricketer, they will have to make a choice. Either keep playing every format, every game for a few years or rest for some matches and make a long career
Devendra Pandey: Do you think the gulf between foreign players and Indian players is too big in the WPL, as we got to see this season?
It’s definitely there, but that’s because they’ve been in women’s cricket for so many years. BCCI has taken up women’s cricket only a few years ago and you’ve seen the difference. Now, with this tournament I think you will see a lot of change going forward, with regards to their fitness, fielding, competitiveness, mental toughness. You’ve seen that happen with the IPL also.
Men’s cricket took off and became so competitive. Now we have such a great bench strength that our B team or C team can take on the world. I think, going forward, the same thing will happen with women’s cricket. Taking cricket as a career option was difficult for even men at one point of time. But given the money that has come into this league, many opportunities are now available to these girls — be it support staff, umpiring or strength and conditioning coaches.
Pratyush Raj: Centres like Dharamshala and Guwahati have held matches. But are there any plans to host IPL matches in smaller centres like Ranchi or Cuttack?
Given the size of our country and the logistical challenges we face, it is very difficult for the teams to travel as much. As it is, they play a competitive tournament. One day they play, the next they are travelling and then the following day they have to play a match. Adding more venues makes it a logistical nightmare. It makes sense to increase the reach of the game. Guwahati is in the eastern part of India and it’s very important to take the game there and build a fanbase. Dharamshala allows us to take the game up north. But given the logistical challenges, you don’t have the kind of airports that you need, or the kind of hotel rooms required. Going forward, to increase the reach of the game, we will definitely be looking at other options.
Wherever you see the growth of cricket, it’s primarily from South Asia. Wherever players from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have gone, they’ve taken the game to a different level
Sandeep Dwivedi : How do you see the popularity of regional commentary? Bhojpuri seems to be the flavour of this season.
It is the best reality show so to say. It’s India’s SaReGaMaPa and Dance India Dance. In all those programmes, raw talent comes and they excel. That platform offers them the opportunity to showcase their talent and become stars overnight. In that sense, this is the platform. Why restrict them to only Hindi and English. Let us have these stars commentating in Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Tamil and Kannada. This is the biggest cricket festival in the entire world. They have made it so interesting because you relate to the game. People are so emotionally attached to cricket in India. It’s a passion and religion for them. I am into education and I have always believed that English would connect you to the world, Hindi and vernacular languages would connect to the roots. We are glad that this is showcasing our diversity to the whole world.
Sandeep Dwivedi: Put yourself in the shoes of the IPL owners. They have paid money and are within their rights to get the best out of the players. Is it fair to ask the IPL owners to manage the workload of top Indian players?
The problem in our country is that whosoever makes money, be it a company or individual, he is seen with suspicion. Virat Kohli has been playing IPL for so many years, he’s never been injured. Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami never got injured. Does it have anything to do with the IPL? At the same time, you have Raj Angad Bawa getting injured. He’s played IPL. Shreyas Iyer got injured but not because of the IPL. Just because they make money through IPL, we start blaming IPL for anything and everything. Injuries are an integral part of any sport. Our badminton stars are getting injured. They don’t play in the IPL. There are so many stars who are coming from overseas and playing in the IPL. They have not given an excuse that IPL is responsible for their injury. So we have to get out of this mindset. They need to improve their fitness levels. Even then, for a medium pace bowler, injuries are bound to happen at some point of time. We have seen stars who have become so disciplined because they know that they need to work hard and retain their fitness level for any format. In case we have to see longevity for a cricketer, they will have to make a choice. Either keep playing every format, every game for a few years or rest for some matches and make a long career. Jimmy Anderson is an example for so many players. At this age, the kind of bowling he is doing and the amount of wickets he has taken, it’s phenomenal.
Sandeep Dwivedi: Are you on the same page with the franchise about players not bowling too many overs and not exerting them during the WTC and the World Cup?
Definitely, National Cricket Academy (NCA) is working very closely with all the franchises. We have already identified the players who’ll be needed for the World Cup. Accordingly, they are speaking to all the respective captains and franchise owners. They all have been sounded out about the fact that the World Cup is a prestigious tournament and since India is the host, we need to see their workload.
Mihir Vasavda: IPL teams are entering other leagues. Doesn’t that devalue IPL and strengthen competition?
I don’t think so. There is no match to IPL per se. But in case someone wants to invest his money somewhere, we can’t guide them. We can give him an option where he can make more money and make a better investment, but still, if he thinks he wants to invest elsewhere, it is his/her choice. Who are we to guide him/her?
Anil Dias: Will IPL GC take up the issue of ticket pricing and police high-handedness with relevant authorities to ensure a smooth experience?
They would be trying very hard with the police officials to do that but that happens with any big event, say a music concert too. Unfortunately, that’s the culture. We can’t help it. But they try their level best. We’ve told them that at times at some venues a fan or game lover who has a genuine ticket could not make it to the stadium but someone else with some connections did. Unfortunately, it happens and we are trying to sort it. But there are still a lot of gaps that we need to work on.
Venkata Krishna B: At most of the venues only 30 per cent of the stadium capacity is sold to the public and nearly 50 per cent goes to BCCI and sponsors. Will the IPL at least open 50 per cent of the tickets to the fans?
This is news to me that 50 per cent goes to BCCI. It’s just about 5 per cent and that is because of our commitment to the sponsors. The rest of that is with the franchises and state associations only. I don’t know where you got this figure from. From what I know, about 70-75 per cent goes to sales. The rest is the commitment to the sponsors, BCCI, and some state associations. Gate money is all for the franchises, so why would they not want to sell those tickets?
Sandeep Dwivedi: When Indian franchise owners invest in foreign leagues, do you see this as Indian cricket money being drained into other countries or do you see it as a big brother helping the development of the game worldwide?
From the days we started watching cricket, Zimbabwe used to be a great team and unfortunately that is not the case now and it is restricted to three, four, five teams. In case cricket has to flourish in other countries across the globe and they have no other option but to go for the leagues and make money out of it and then put the money back into domestic cricket, so be it. If India is helping that, then so be it. Down the line if it helps five-six teams that are coming up, then it is for the betterment of cricket. If the Indian franchise owners are helping with that, then I’m happy with that.
Sandeep Dwivedi: If South Africa becomes a strong team, it is the betterment of world cricket?
Yes, or for that matter West Indies. What a great team it used to be at one point in time. If the Caribbean league helps them produce better cricketers domestically and internationally, I will be very happy with that.
Sandeep Dwivedi: If our players go there, it would improve them?
For that we are making their players come here and play. That will help them get better.
Devendra Pandey: Is there a possibility for two IPLs in a year?
(07 to 14 April 2023) राष्ट्रीय सप्ताहिक न्यूज़पेपर में प्रिंट इस सप्ताह की ख़बर…
We will see. Given the format of the IPL that we have, it is not possible to have another edition in the same year. We have seen the bilateral calendar for the upcoming four years and the ICC events. So that may not be possible. But if there is any window of opportunity available for some other format or short tournament, we are definitely looking at that.
Shashank Nair: Will IPL go the football way in the coming years and have a longer season?
It is the fans who will decide this. It is not up to the respective cricket boards or the ICC. If fans want only one particular format to be played, say T20 and there are no takers for ODI or Test cricket, it will eventually come to that. But I think there is still plenty of interest in India, England, Australia, South Africa for Test cricket. The same goes for ODIs. The fans will decide because, ultimately, the broadcasters money has to come from fans. Going forward, that might happen, but as of now, I see a lot of interest for Test cricket and ODIs. How we manage our bilateral rights and how other countries manage their bilateral rights will be decided on that count.
Sandeep Dwivedi: How do you see cricket in the US? And what about cricket in the Olympics?
My personal opinion is that T10 would make more sense given the kind of infrastructure this kind of tournament would require. In some countries in Europe, it is difficult to create so many cricket stadiums because you need to have natural grass and maintain that. Olympics would happen in those countries maybe 20-30 years down the line. So it is very difficult for a European country that has no interest in cricket to create and sustain cricket infrastructure. T10 can be one format that should be seen.
Sandeep Dwivedi: Some of our players have moved to the US. Unmukt (Chand) is one. Could there be an exodus of players who think their career is over or are on the verge of retirement or don’t have a great chance in IPL?
Wherever you see the growth of cricket, it’s primarily from South Asia. Wherever players from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have gone, they’ve taken the game to a different level, including in the Middle East. Same goes for the US. Making it into Delhi or Mumbai team is as good as making it into Australia, right? With 100 crore people… If they are getting an opportunity somewhere, then why not? If we are producing engineers and they are doing a good job for NASA, so be it. It’s helping the scientific world around the globe. If BCCI is producing players and it’s helping global cricket to prosper, we should be happy.
Sandeep Dwivedi: Are you sure about the anti-corruption norms being put in place?
There was a recent report by Sports Radar with regard to this data. None of the India or IPL games have been found involved in any kind of matchfixing.
Sandeep Dwivedi: That’s because they look at the betting patterns of the authorised betting websites. In India, the bigger problem deals with the illegal networks. How difficult is that to control?
Betting is not legal in India but unfortunately, it is still happening. So whether it has to be legalised or not — the government has to take a call on that. As far as match-fixing is concerned, we have to have stringent laws and punishments for that. I can guarantee that none of our players are compromised. But if betting is happening outside the country, then I cannot help it. I have to ensure that none of our boys are involved in fixing. We take care of that.
Mihir Vasavda: Are you comfortable with the number of betting companies that are advertising in a surrogate manner during the IPL besides the rise of fantasy gaming apps and the way players are endorsing them?
As far as fantasy leagues are concerned, they have faced the test of the judiciary. And the government is also working on this. They have made a working group to determine whether it’s a game of skill or a game of chance. We are nobody to control all these things. Whatever has to be done in the legal framework, we just follow that. If somebody is advertising in a surrogate manner, that happens for wine, whiskey, liquor brands, and cigarettes too, we can’t really help that. In case the same is happening with betting companies, that’s not my subject. If some law is made to restrict that, we’ll comply with that. We are not an enforcing agency. We just go by what the government tells us.
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