IPL 6 and spot-fixing scandal: The show must go on

Watching any Indian news channel over the past week would have made you wonder why cricket news was being shown everywhere? And mind you, the news was not a happy one but instead, about the dreaded term in any sport – “Fixing”. Well, if you are an Indian cricket lover, the past few days must have been traumatic to say the least. Indian cricket’s golden baby – IPL has been wounded, leaving its fans hurt. Some critics and journalists have also called for an end to the IPL.

So, is it really time to bring down the curtains on IPL? I think otherwise.

Yes, the image has been dented, but in my opinion, it is not beyond repairs.

And the best explanation, as per me, in support of the IPL, came from the great Sunil Gavaskar. His argument was that if a politician gets caught indulging in corrupt practices, then that particular political party is not banned. Then why should a team or a league be scrapped because of the actions of few cricketers?

This argument might sound a bit bizarre to start with, but is not totally wrong in my opinion. In today’s world, scandals are taking place left, right and centre and the cricketing world is no exception. Probably it is a reflection of the society that we live in today. Moreover, it is not the first time that a fixing scandal has come up in a sport. In all these scandals, time and again it has been proved that the game is above individuals.

Let us see what this spot-fixing saga brings for cricket – once considered a gentleman’s game. For starters, take a look at the players involved. I am sure some fans would still have a tough time remembering the details of two out of the three players named in the spot-fixing scandal. As far as the third and the most famous one amongst the lot is concerned, in spite of all the talent, he has failed to make it big in international cricket. Also, none of the three players have been regular match-winners or even regulars in the playing XI.

Now compare this with the first fixing scandal – the Cronje-gate which hit cricket back in 2000. At that time, the players involved were among the best in the world. The players in question included Hansie Cronje – arguably one of the best strategist of modern day cricket and Azharuddin – India’s most successful captain at that time and once considered Indian cricket’s destiny child. Still, the game of cricket emerged from this nadir. It was due to the likes of Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid etc. who made it easier for the Indian fans to overcome this crisis. Such was the graveness of the situation that superheroes were needed to save the cricketing world and they did exactly that.

As the IPL 2013 goes into its knock-out stage, it would be interesting to see the extent of damage done by this fixing saga. Will the fans still queue up to watch their heroes play or will the matches be played in front of empty stands, is a question which will be answered soon.

But if the crowds at the league stage matches, post the spot-fixing episode, are any indication of the things to come, then all seems to be well. This does not mean that nothing should be done to curb these malpractices and as the BCCI put it – the players, if proven guilty, will not be spared. However, for now, the show must and will go on. So, sit back and enjoy the IPL experience.