Responding to some comments in general here, which I should have perhaps added in the main piece: If it was a point of principle about the state of religious minorities in a Muslim-majority country, then the players from Taliban-run Afghanistan would have been banned first by BCCI. Instead, New Delhi welcomes Taliban leaders without even mentioning women's rights and education even once, not even perfunctorily. So it is purely about BJP's domestic political agenda against Indian Muslims and forthcoming elections in West Bengal. It is not a principled position.
Profoundly disturbing. I was concerned when I wrote The Club not to overstate the degree to which the BJP had taken over the BCCI and was moving on the ICC. Seems I underestimated the extent to which they have become creatures of Modi's extreme Hinduist politics.
I understand that BCCI runs the world, and anyone challenging them would need deep pockets and a lot of courage. But there is strength in numbers. If a dozen prominent Australian, NZ, English, S African cricketers declined the IPL because of it's discriminatory hiring; it would embarrass BCCI and maybe push them to close the league.
This is a brilliant and penetrating analysis of a situation which has been in the making for sometime. Thank you for making it available. Sadly, it is unlikely that the ideal response - that all other major cricketing nations stop playing India - will happen, since, as we all know, India and Indians bankroll the game. Nevertheless, it would an interesting exercise to speculate what the impacts on cricket's ecosystem would be - for example, would the Indian funding of franchise leagues be suddenly be curtailed? Is there anyone bold and brave enough to take on the BCCI/ICC?
P.S. Why is no-one in cricket's media circles discussing Imran Khan's plight?
Which I do not agree but with this post Pahalgam driven national hostility to take on any actions against Hindus head on. Lynching of minority Hindus in Bangla Desh was a factor. The last IPL auction reflected that with only one AFG and one BD player contracted. The other point is IPL franchises are focusing on countries where they have franchise investments. So overseas players from WI AUS ENG SA NZ SL will always feature as diplomatically also attractive.
Gideon may find it offensive but China started it with ping pong diplomacy - the not so welcome british gift of partition yielded hostile neighborhoods where cricket is part of the politics.
I couldn't be happier if the IPL decided only to play local players. It would be the end of the juggernaut - sure the Indian players and country would enjoy it, but the competition would be overtaken for quality worldwide.
Sad, yet unsurprising. The world order is shifting before our eyes, as India and China look to impose themselves, and that shift is causing upheavals far beyond cricket. But, that this is being inflicted upon that which breathes life into Et Al, I am nevertheless despondent
How long until England and Australia refuse to play India? The BCCI seems like they’re going everything to undermine India’s involvement in international cricket in the long term. Maybe a closed internal ecosystem is what they want.
Perhaps so, but perhaps just as possible India are merely trying to push their version of Hilary Clinton's deplorables out of the main game. Leaving the cricketing world with the BCCI continuing to rule what's left. West Indies, Zimbabwe, Namibia etc. may drop out simply because of declining competitiveness ( or maybe they would be allowed some white ball participation).
It seems doubtful that the ties between India and the remaining countries would be severed readily. There are bigger ties / joint interests involved. And money.
Well argued. Professional sport world wide is a fully owned subsidiary of the entertainment and geopoltical elites. Endless meaningless contests put on for money not competition. The ICC has no power and neither to CA or ECB. Challenging the BCCI would just fracture the "sport" with a rich BCCI league taking players on their terms & a ROW impoverished and impotent. Packer on steroids and we know the money won - then as now.
My choice is to watch very little professional sport except at the highest levels of excellence rather than as a mass consumer.
We are currently watching the 1936 Berlin Olympics on endless loop on multiple channels. Nothing is forever. Then as now sanity will be restored after crisis purges the corrupt structures of ruthless power underwritten by unsustainable debt.
Excellent analysis. Sri Lanka has already been in the crosshairs of the IPL/BCCI/BJP nexus. In 2013, all SL players - there were 13 contracted that season - were banned from playing in Chennai due to pressure from the Tamil Nadu state government (for obvious reasons).
Regarding the rather clumsy title for tat between India and BD over lynching of Hindu minorities in BD. So sorry Fizz lost coin but the victims of lynching trumps Fizz ouster.
A bit of hypocrisy. Other countries mask blockage in a clever manner. NBA MLB NBA etc cannot recruit talent in some parts of the world due to increasingly restrictive travel movement to US from talented players from N Korea Somalia Iran etc!
Instead of sport bridging the divide BJP is using it to reinforce it. As goes the world so goes cricket. The BCCI will destroy the game’s growth entirely, and the irony that they just want WI and SENA foreign players in IPL and not Asian ones (except maybe SL) is not lost on me. Doubly ironic because those Asian countries are currently no threat at ICC tournaments but SENA countries are.
Responding to some comments in general here, which I should have perhaps added in the main piece: If it was a point of principle about the state of religious minorities in a Muslim-majority country, then the players from Taliban-run Afghanistan would have been banned first by BCCI. Instead, New Delhi welcomes Taliban leaders without even mentioning women's rights and education even once, not even perfunctorily. So it is purely about BJP's domestic political agenda against Indian Muslims and forthcoming elections in West Bengal. It is not a principled position.
Profoundly disturbing. I was concerned when I wrote The Club not to overstate the degree to which the BJP had taken over the BCCI and was moving on the ICC. Seems I underestimated the extent to which they have become creatures of Modi's extreme Hinduist politics.
ICC is in the clutches of the BCCI
BCCI operates within the machinery of the BJP
The rest of the cricketing world are mere spectators
Where is the leadership?
Would be interested in Malcolm Speed's thoughts on all this
great read
further evidence that cricket et al is the premium cricketing substack of choice!
I understand that BCCI runs the world, and anyone challenging them would need deep pockets and a lot of courage. But there is strength in numbers. If a dozen prominent Australian, NZ, English, S African cricketers declined the IPL because of it's discriminatory hiring; it would embarrass BCCI and maybe push them to close the league.
Excellent piece.
Very sad - but good that articles like this are given some oxygen.
As a democracy you expect better from India than from the likes of China & Russia (hardly a real democracy).
But then you look at Israel & even the Us & realise that increasingly, democracies are capable of behaving just as badly as the alternatives.
This is a brilliant and penetrating analysis of a situation which has been in the making for sometime. Thank you for making it available. Sadly, it is unlikely that the ideal response - that all other major cricketing nations stop playing India - will happen, since, as we all know, India and Indians bankroll the game. Nevertheless, it would an interesting exercise to speculate what the impacts on cricket's ecosystem would be - for example, would the Indian funding of franchise leagues be suddenly be curtailed? Is there anyone bold and brave enough to take on the BCCI/ICC?
P.S. Why is no-one in cricket's media circles discussing Imran Khan's plight?
Thanks Well researched
It goes a little further
Sometime back former player voiced that IPL should have only domestic players.
https://www.sportstiger.com/cricket/ipl-should-not-give-opportunity-to-any-foreign-players-yuvraj-singh
Which I do not agree but with this post Pahalgam driven national hostility to take on any actions against Hindus head on. Lynching of minority Hindus in Bangla Desh was a factor. The last IPL auction reflected that with only one AFG and one BD player contracted. The other point is IPL franchises are focusing on countries where they have franchise investments. So overseas players from WI AUS ENG SA NZ SL will always feature as diplomatically also attractive.
Gideon may find it offensive but China started it with ping pong diplomacy - the not so welcome british gift of partition yielded hostile neighborhoods where cricket is part of the politics.
I did not write this piece, comrade.
😆 my mistake
I couldn't be happier if the IPL decided only to play local players. It would be the end of the juggernaut - sure the Indian players and country would enjoy it, but the competition would be overtaken for quality worldwide.
I like that and from domestic franchises a world league of marvel superstars 😆
Sad, yet unsurprising. The world order is shifting before our eyes, as India and China look to impose themselves, and that shift is causing upheavals far beyond cricket. But, that this is being inflicted upon that which breathes life into Et Al, I am nevertheless despondent
How long until England and Australia refuse to play India? The BCCI seems like they’re going everything to undermine India’s involvement in international cricket in the long term. Maybe a closed internal ecosystem is what they want.
Perhaps so, but perhaps just as possible India are merely trying to push their version of Hilary Clinton's deplorables out of the main game. Leaving the cricketing world with the BCCI continuing to rule what's left. West Indies, Zimbabwe, Namibia etc. may drop out simply because of declining competitiveness ( or maybe they would be allowed some white ball participation).
It seems doubtful that the ties between India and the remaining countries would be severed readily. There are bigger ties / joint interests involved. And money.
Well argued. Professional sport world wide is a fully owned subsidiary of the entertainment and geopoltical elites. Endless meaningless contests put on for money not competition. The ICC has no power and neither to CA or ECB. Challenging the BCCI would just fracture the "sport" with a rich BCCI league taking players on their terms & a ROW impoverished and impotent. Packer on steroids and we know the money won - then as now.
My choice is to watch very little professional sport except at the highest levels of excellence rather than as a mass consumer.
We are currently watching the 1936 Berlin Olympics on endless loop on multiple channels. Nothing is forever. Then as now sanity will be restored after crisis purges the corrupt structures of ruthless power underwritten by unsustainable debt.
Be patient - 1948 is only a decade away.
Excellent analysis. Sri Lanka has already been in the crosshairs of the IPL/BCCI/BJP nexus. In 2013, all SL players - there were 13 contracted that season - were banned from playing in Chennai due to pressure from the Tamil Nadu state government (for obvious reasons).
Regarding the rather clumsy title for tat between India and BD over lynching of Hindu minorities in BD. So sorry Fizz lost coin but the victims of lynching trumps Fizz ouster.
A bit of hypocrisy. Other countries mask blockage in a clever manner. NBA MLB NBA etc cannot recruit talent in some parts of the world due to increasingly restrictive travel movement to US from talented players from N Korea Somalia Iran etc!
So when CA sells the BBL to the IPL franchises will the Pakistani players, that add so much, be banned here?
It would depend on travel rules and restrictions policies of each country hosting franchise cricket
Instead of sport bridging the divide BJP is using it to reinforce it. As goes the world so goes cricket. The BCCI will destroy the game’s growth entirely, and the irony that they just want WI and SENA foreign players in IPL and not Asian ones (except maybe SL) is not lost on me. Doubly ironic because those Asian countries are currently no threat at ICC tournaments but SENA countries are.