Sachin Tendulkar has retired from playing international Twenty20 © AFP
By CricketCountry Staff
New Delhi: May 25, 2012
Former Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi lashed out at Indian Premier League saying that foreign players are getting all the benefits of the league.
‘'Look, don't fall for this trap. Indian Premier League is a trap to make you go astray.' Players like Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist have finished with the game. Michael Clarke does not want to play T20 cricket for Australia; Sachin Tendulkar doesn't want to play T20s for India. This is just an outing for them to have some fun and in the process, make a quick buck. Youngsters should not take it as a role model activity, but unfortunately, they will.”
“Foreigners are running away with the cake. Far too many of the players, coaches, physios, trainers, umpires, referees and commentators. When the East India Company came to India, they came here to do business and established an empire.In this case, we are giving everything to the foreigners on a platter, be it from Australia, England or South Africa.”
Bedi believes the money coming to IPL should be thoroughly investigated.
“I am very clear: This money laundering business should be investigated. I have not come across anybody in Delhi (where Bedi resides)… not even one person, who said, ‘I’ve bought a ticket and I’m going to watch a game.’ And you hear of tickets being sold out. Sold out from whom? There are all complimentaries running around. I cannot imagine people buying tickets for this kind of nonsense.”
“I fear for the younger generation because they will get very restless and impatient to apply their minds to the bigger and longer lasting skills of the game. I am very concerned and I am very upset that some of our so-called administrators and cricket greats are not bothered about this aspect,” he added.
Bedi admitted that he was never a fan of the T20 format and warns budding cricketers to refrain from it.
“Kids will feel, 'if these fellows can do it, why can't we?' Human tendency is to follow a negative trend. If you tell them to listen to some wisdom, they will not have the time for that. 'Oh, this man has gone bonkers,' they will say. But this is how the cookie crumbles. I am very apprehensive,” the former Indian player added.
According to Bedi, cricketers rave about playing in IPL not for the cricket, but for the money.
“People who are raving about IPL are mad. They are raving about IPL because of the money. This nonsense is all about money, money and more money. The base of the entire IPL is very, very fragile. It is a business proposition and any business must have the base of ‘principles first, profits afterwards’. But, here, there are no principles, only profits and that too, only for the players and BCCI.
None of the franchises have disclosed that they are making money. They are not! Everybody is losing money, so how is it that they are carrying on? It doesn’t make any sense.”
In terms of cricket, Bedi believes that it is wong notion that Twenty20 format has made cricket exciting.
“Fast scoring? You mean to say there was no fast scoring in the World Cup? Dhoni’s six to win the World Cup final was a big hit. Forget T20 cricket for a while, the overall advantage of modern cricket is that physical fitness has improved enormously. Agreed. But that has to do with the game,” he was quoted as saying to Mid-Day.
“Okay, there is big-hitting. But, how many big-hitters? Only Chris Gayle or from the Indian side, there is Virender Sehwag. Who among the youngsters? Nobody! Who among the bowlers are setting Indian cricket on fire? Nobody! So how can people say it has provided positive aspects for Indian cricket? No, it hasn’t,” he added.
“Martin Crowe opened with a spinner (Dipak Patel) way back in 1992. This was just an innovation and it clicked. Now, if they start off with a spinner, it is done with a clear intention of hiding a bowler -- not to expose him in the middle overs,” Bedi concluded.
