Lalit Modi Operandi – How the IPL Supremo Utilizes the Limelight

5 Things to Know About Lalit Modi…

1. Lalit Kumar Modi is the Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League.
2. He is Sports Illustrated India’s 2^nd most influential person in Indian sport.
3. 16th in Time Magazine’s ‘Best Sports Executives in the World 2008′.
4. The man behind “the World’s Hottest Sports League” according to Forbes magazine.
5. He is also an avid Twitter user.

But do not confuse his ‘tweets’ with the other celebrity’s mundane mumblings – @LalitKModi is another of Modi’s tricks to generate hype around the revolutionary league!

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Security issues are part of modern life.  IPL3 is no different.

Evolving Eras of Cricket

Cricket can arguably be split into eras of historical or social importance that have defined the playing, administrating and commercialisation of our celebrated and loved sport.  There was a period in cricket’s history as a sinful and riotous game, the sport was rebranded by the Victorians to become a gentleman’ s game and later, an era of professionals and amateurs. Packer commercialisation, West Indian domination. Australian ruthlessness on the pitch, Indian hegemony off it. We must ask what era we are currently in; perhaps we are entering an age of freelancing cricketers, T20, franchises, celebrity, an era of Lalit Modi?

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My Watsonian Moment

My most jubilant cricketing moment came knocking back the off stump of a particularly aggressive batsman, who had ridden his luck throughout his innings.  Having inside edged my previous delivery, inches away from his stumps to the boundary; I bowled a ball of such genius (albeit unintended) to bamboozle the plucky batsmen that it would forever remain in my memory.  Jagging back just short of a length the ball eluded a wholehearted attempt of a drive, forcing its way between bat and pad to clatter the stump out of the ground.  However, my memory of the passage of play would be tainted with bitterness and regret, for it was also the cricketing moment for which I am most shameful.

As the ball raced away to the boundary, following the aforementioned inside-edge, I uttered an assortment of expletives under my breath.  Although not aimed at anyone in particular, they included a selection of discourteous phrases. My opponent heard my frustrations and was convinced they were aimed at him.

It’s always the risk when you are playing a team game, it’s not like when you visit visit Party Poker or are weight training alone, when you can really let off steam without people getting offended by your actions or what you say. You have to keep some sort of check on what you say and do as there is more than yourself watching and listening.Wielding his bat, and complete with helmet, pads and an array of protective equipment, he challenged me with regards to my articulation of irritation. Denying everything, I paced back to my marker, full of adrenaline and energised; I was determined to get this batsman out.  Running in with a breeze behind me and aided by a slight downhill decline, I would bowl my wicket-rattling ball, and spark an intense feeling of euphoria, although short-lived.  It just wasn’t quite right.

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Delhi Debacle Adds To Apprehension

The abandonment of the final ODI after just 23.3 overs between India and Sri Lanka stands to be far more than a mixture of disgrace and embarrassment for Indian cricket. Largely acknowledged to be the powerhouse of the modern game, the latest debacle will call into question India’s efficiency as a global sporting host and pile enormous pressure on those involved in delivering the 2011 World Cup. At what is emerging as a critical juncture for cricket’s future, the next World Cup will be subject to particular scrutiny.

The tedious cricket offered by India and Sri Lanka during the recent test series was criticised for the lack of balance between bat and ball.  Masses of runs were scored in conditions favouring batsmen, whilst the bowlers, Murali, Harbhajan and Mendis amongst them, toiled with little success.  Where once a bad pitch was by definition, one which favoured the bowler, wickets around the world have recently been criticised for failing to produce a result.  Ricky Ponting recently expressed his dissatisfaction in ‘not a lot of results being achieved’, boldly citing the subcontinent contests.  In a hugely successful year for the Indian administrators, and ‘Team India’ finishing on top of the ICC rankings, the quality of pitches has become an issue, on both ends of the wicket spectrum. 

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