Yesterday's spot fixing expose in the IPL has shaken many, and stirred a few. Those shaken badly are the die-hard fans and above-reproach cricketers, and those who've just been stirred a bit are the BCCI members and a few ex-cricketers with interests in the IPL or the cricket board.
I've heard arguments and counter-arguments that focus upon "a few bad fish" (shouldn't they more aptly be called 3 little pigs?!) to "hand in the till" to "innocent until proven guilty".
My take on this is very simple... this is not about a few bad fish, as the bookies cannot be betting on only a single team only (Rajasthan Royals) and just through fixing these 3 men. Certainly, betting is happening on the other 8 teams as well, and many more players from various other teams need to be probed. There seems to be much more murkiness in so many other matches played this season, that needs to be explored and brought to the public eye.
This should also not be about punishing these 3 cricketers with life bans only because they had a hand in the till. Sorry, but a hand in the till's definition, as I understand it, is to steal money from one's employer. The charges are just not that, and just not so small. These charges are definitely not about stealing from Rajasthan Royal's purse. They are about deliberately damaging one's own employer's chances of profitability and sustenance in return for money. This is well-orchestrated treason and treachery, and needs to be seen just as that. This is precisely what the Rajasthan Royals must interpret from this incident and, instead of waiting for the Delhi Police or the BCCI to take (or not take) whatever action, take the lead in filing an FIR on their own accordingly.
The lesson from cricket here is a not-so-simple one, that probably needs a larger debate. In such difficult circumstances, is it best to let the person who's harmed the organization with malicious intent due to monetary considerations be allowed to go scot-free with just a sacking? Or, should he be made accountable and punished through judicial means available for the harm he's done to the revenue and repute of the organization?
