Money hai to honey hai!

One statement said it all. No further surgery was required. " I have never seen something like this in my life, not even on the cricket field", boasted the BCCI office-bearer IS Bindra, with the customary cockiness that has becoming synonymous with BCCI mandarins. Mark the words; "not even on the cricket field". Wow!

Really, Mr Bindra? Not for him the famous 1983 World Cup triumph of Kapil's Devils? Sachin Tendulkar's impeccable mastery ? Anil Kumble's ten-wicket haul against Pakistan? Rahul Dravid's majestic innings and that exciting victory over Australia at Adelaide? That incredible Natwest win? The improbable finish at Eden Gardens, 2001, and VVS Laxman's classic 281? . Even the unexpected comeback victory at Perth just a few weeks ago? No! Those enthralling moments, that make a game come alive. The T20 triumph at Johannesburg? . Nothing mattered to Mr Bindra. The commercial circus unfolding in Hilton Towers , that was the real thing. That was India's greatest cricketing moment in history! Sorry, Polly Umrigar, Ramakant Desai, Vinoo Mankad and Vijay Merchant. And so many unnamed heroes who played a Test match for five rupees in their heydays.

It was more thrilling for BCCI officials yesterday to watch the "historic" player auction ( why was it not conducted behind shut doors or by closed bidding above minimum reserve price? ) in 5-star dwellings, big moneybags raising their magic wand, player valuations being announced like a latest stock market update , TV shutterbugs clicking away furiously as the BCCI spokesperson, courting a calibrated arrogance announced the latest acquisition. Thank you, Mr Bindra.

I am all for change. Innovation. Risks. Being the front-runner with new ideas. After all, as they say all growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without benefit of experience. But what has caused me deep consternation is the flagrant inconsistencies in the IPL format, and the shockingly non-transparent manner of franchise ownership dole-outs.

I list out some queer queries:

1) How come an " ICON" player ends up earning less than a non-icon player? Pray, what business rationale exists for this silly joke? So if Sachin Tendulkar was a sales item on display yesterday, wasn't it possible that he would have probably earned more than MS Dhoni ? And now, he is earning less than even Andrew Symonds! And by the way, we now have a ridiculous scenario of a Manoj Tiwari ( who has played one official match lasting 7 minutes at the crease) fetches a higher price realization than the world's best batsman, Ricky Ponting.

2) In Hyderabad, we are going to have a captain ( the good ole modest VVS Laxman) earning less than his own team members; howzzat? It's contradictory to any sport's basic stipulations, as the skipper ought to technically command premium rates. Why wasn't VVS made an ICON player as well? Or, why is he not made one now? Isn't it all too ad hoc and arbitrary? After all, how did V Sehwag become ICON through some "mutual understanding?".

3) How is it that the selectors ( read BCCI) dump Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman etc from ODI cricket and then think they are ICON players for T20 ? So isn't it more about encashing their perceived commercial clout than their actual worthiness to the game itself? Hadn't Sachin too voluntarily opted out of T20? So if this is not just a profiteering business model, what is???

4) Would IPL have even come into existence if it was not because of the ICL creation and that India surprisingly won the T20 World Cup against all odds? The fact that this entire format and tournament has been so hurriedly conceived, created, marketed and almost operationalised, is it not obvious even to the dumbest in the IQ denominator that there has been desperate attempt to make it a speed-money venture?

5) How many people are aware that yesterday there was the premier championship Duleep Trophy finals being played in Mumbai, a few stones throw away from Hilton? Like the Ranji Trophy finals sometime ago , there was not a single soul to watch the game. Are we to believe that this cash-rich body actually cares about domestic cricket? What will happen to those young cricketers who will never be discovered if the domestic tournaments are never energized? .

6) Nobody would like to grudge the Indian cricketers their handsome windfall, but what is likely to be the individual's motivation level to play " official" Test or even ODI cricket for a mere pittance ( by comparison with IPL earnings) ? Surely, then you cannot blame them for becoming T20 " specialists".? For many, , a high-paying club will be preferred to a low-remunerating country board.

7) Is the BCCI really concerned about player development, because with the kind of excess cricket they will now have to play round the year, what will be their burn-out rate? They will become like high-perishable commodities. And isn't a player's official status the most critical factor for being considered " ICON" or marketable under the IPL terms to begin with? So aren't we somewhere killing the goose that laid the golden egg syndrome all over again?

8) Can't the lure of IPL result in a mad rush- for- gold attitude, make international cricketers rebel ( already happening if one reads the veiled threat) , and collapse the game elsewhere where the local boards are not as cash-rich ( West Indies, Sri Lanka , Pakistan, even Australia ) , with players versus board conflicts raging endlessly? With the ICC virtually defunct, isn't the future of the game at the moment under flux despite the massive resource-raising in India? Isn't the BCCI effectively running ICC itself?

9) The IPL can only succeed if they get record crowd attendance on grounds; or else, it will be a monumental disaster. Will the BCCI support the franchisees in blanking out local TV relay for host teams so that it can get the paying public to come to the stadiums? Or are the huge media rights too tempting to tamper with?

10) How transparent have the franchise ownership offerings been? When you have BCCI office bearers themselves buying a franchise, isn't it a grave issue in terms of conflict of interest? Rumours abound of their being multiple cross-holding, and there being a deliberate subterfuge by " fronting" certain other owners ? Can we have a clear statement on this? Is the " franchise club" then an organized structure comprising of independent owners exercising unilateral powers collectively , each in cohort with the other, a sophisticated cartel pushing up asset valuations? You scratch my back, I scratch yours? Your guess is as good as mine.

As they say, the ultimate leveler is finally the paying public . Cricket valuations have gone up because the common man has made it happen. MS Dhoni and company will be fully aware that post the West Indies World Cup fiasco, we had violent public protests and unwarranted brickbats heaped on the team, and the same BCCI which has now become their Uncle Richie Rich , had capped their endorsement deals, alleging that they had become " money-minded". Now the same impertinent parent is doling out magnanimous dollar bundles. The wheel has not just come a full circle, it's revolving at break-neck speed.

Remember though, that it is the cricketers who will have to become mentally prepared for an unforgiving public, should they be seen as casually strolling into repeated losses in the future. I foresee virulent public reactions should India fail to perform well in international matches. Because the common man's game will be now bracketed as an elitist sport played by the rich-boys backed by sugar-daddy's. The gap between the man who sweats hours to get a North Stand ticket and the punk-haired, ear-ring wearing , in-your-face super-brat has now considerably widened. If Indian cricketers flop and fail, they can forget about receiving a warm commiserating pat on the back. Cash or country will dominate headlines well into the foreseeable future. And failure will be treated as an intolerable act of cruelty.

As for the BCCI, the lesser said the better. The so-called success has not just gone into their head , but as was evident yesterday, it has got into their mouth as well.