Don’t bet on legalisation, say cricket officials

The crucial recommendation is on legalisation of betting which could be the main bone of contention. It is easier said than done but what it does to the burning issue of IPL and the betting controversy becomes irrelevant if it is to be accepted prima facie. 

However, the blueprint to legalise betting is still not ready and cricket officials do not see it happening in the near future. “First of all, it is not binding on Supreme Court to take it forward and implement them within a time frame. Logistically, there should be a plan and this should be acceptable to all the parties involved,” said a senior Board official, who did not want to be named. 

A closely-related issue is that while legalising betting in cricket, the authorities have based it on the horse racing principles. Unfortunately for cricket, horse racing has always been branded as a game of chance rather than a game of skill. “In fact, both are basically games of skills but in (horse) racing the system is fool-proof because in the guidelines it is clearly mentioned that you have to own a horse to be a member of the RWITC, the controlling body for turfs whereas in BCCI, the contention is that if you own a club (read Chennai Super Kings), you cannot sit on the board of control for cricket. In cricket, the scrutinising lens is sharper because it is followed by millions in India,” said a turf official, explaining the betting issue. 

The other recommendation that could spark a debate is the one-State one-Association formula, which, if implemented, would directly hit Maharashtra the most as it has four voting members in its fold, Vidarbha, Maharashtra, Cricket Club of India and Mumbai. “So what will happen to the record number of Ranji Trophy titles (39) that Mumbai have won,” asks a Board official. “But the positive factor is that it eliminates some paper clubs like National Cricket Club from Kolkata and brings in some sort of sanity into the proceedings.” 

Effectively, cricket in India is set to be divided into two eras — before Lodha and after Lodha if all these changes take shape. But then a lot of it is at the speculative stage for now.