It has been proved beyond doubt that match fixing has taken place in IPL tournament and millions of cricket fans have been cheated and taken for a ride. After much public outcry and intervention of the judiciary, investigation has been completed and judgement pronounced. However, those who care for probity in public life and transparency in sports matters and who think that the guilty should not be spared, are now disappointed.
Many people think that considering the level of scam and the damage that the image of cricket as sports has suffered, punishments imposed are marginal and cosmetic. Such lenient award of punishment make the guilty people having the last laugh and perhaps, the scamsters will continue to play their tricks and mischief in future,feeling confident that they can get away.
Two teams in IPL have been banned but one can be sure that the owners of the team will launch another team in some other name. What is to be noted is that the verdict has banned the teams and not the owners of the teams. As a matter of fact,. N.Srinivasan, who was owner of the Chennai Super Kings team till recently ,has now said that he has nothing to do with the team.
Investigation has clearly established that Srinivasan's son in law is guilty .He was involved in affairs of Chennai Super Kings along with his father in law N.Srinivasan, who is also the Chief of Board of Control for Cricket in India. Obviously, the son in law could not have indulged in the mischief without the knowledge of the father in law and the father in law has been controlling Chennai Super Kings as well as Board of Control for Cricket in India. The question upper most in the mind of cricket fans is that while the son in law has been punished, why the father in law has been left scot free . Are the Indian fans so naïve to think that son in law is guilty but father in law is not guilty.
Now, what will the two match fixers who have been banned by the verdict do now. They have suffered loss of reputation but they may not think that this is a loss at all, as these are the people who have indulged in match fixing with least consideration for ethics and fair play. One can be sure that they will be active in cricket under some other binami name, sooner or later and perhaps, sooner than later.
It is an established practice that the punishments imposed by judiciary should be in tune with the seriousness of the crime and the punishment must act as deterrent for other mischief makers and match fixers in future.
Cricket is known as the gentleman's game. Unfortunately today ,cricket is no more the sports that we know of . It has become a place for politicians, dishonest people and corrupt elements who control the game.
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