Former captain says, IPL promotes betting, drugs, alcohol and prostitution
Some may have laughed it off when World Cup winning Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga called the IPL ‘a monster’ that will destroy the very fabric of the game when it was launched in 2008, but five years on, his predictions have proved to be prophetic, after the arrest of a team owner following the spot-fixing scandal.
Chennai Super Kings CEO, Gurunath Meiyappan, was arrested in Bombay last week during investigations on spot-fixing in the IPL. Meiyappan is the son-in-law of Indian Cricket Board President N. Srinivasan.
Three Indian cricketers have also been arrested for their involvement in spot-fixing and it’s feared that more arrests could follow.
“India created a monster through the IPL and it is now haunting them,” Ranatunga said when contacted by ‘The Island’ yesterday. “The gentleman’s game of ours has been tarnished by betting, prostitution, alcohol and drugs, which is what the IPL has been promoting. India is a country with a rich culture and tradition and the IPL has devastated all that.” Ranatunga noted.
“I don’t know why the ICC didn’t say anything the whole of last week when the game’s reputation was being severely harmed. In 2008, the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit head, Sir Paul Condon warned about the dangers of the IPL. But they just turned a blind eye. I feel only the small fish have been caught yet, the big fish are still at large,” Ranatunga went onto say.
“Over the years, there has been a lot of manipulations taking place in the IPL, but the authorities didn’t bother,” Ranatunga added.
Several Sri Lankan cricketers were involved in the sixth edition of the IPL, including nine of the 15 member squad chosen for the Champions Trophy. Ranatunga, who has criticized the IPL since it was launched in 2008, said he was disappointed that Sri Lanka’s elite cricketers had continued to ignore the dangers of the IPL.
“Our cricketers, at most times, promoted the IPL and protected the tournament from any criticism. They are quick to raise their voices against corruption in Sri Lankan cricket, but don’t utter a word when it comes to corruption in the IPL. Some of our cricketers are hypocrites,” Ranatunga further said.
“IPL money has bought over most of the top players in the world, and some of the past cricketers too have forgotten how the sport brought them to the limelight and they aren’t doing much to protect the game,” Ranatunga went onto say.
