Arjuna Ranatunga Brands IPL “A Monster”; ICC Bowing to BCCI

Reiterating his stance against the IPL, the former Sri Lankan captain was scathing in his appraisal of India’s Twenty20 league, of the BCCI’s power and misuse and of the ICC being a spineless body.

Arjuna Ranatunga

Arjuna Ranatunga was never a happy administrator knowing that the Sri Lankan cricketers were showing their loyalties to the Indian Premier League and it would appear that that has not changed his viewpoint on matters. If anything,Ranatunga is even more critical of the Twenty20 cash rich bonanza that is the IPL, dubbing it a monster that could signal the end of international cricket as we know it.

Almost echoing the words of former England captain, Tony Greig, Ranatunga alleged that the BCCI was wielding too much power at the ICC and thereby rendered the ICC ‘toothless’ in tackling matters that affect world cricket, concentrating instead on the IPL. Like Grieg, the captain who led the Sri Lankan team to victory in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1996 slammed the idea of the IPL having a window in the international calendar, believing that such a move would reduce cricket to club format a la football and thereby, diluting the spirit of nation versus nation. Grieg had made similar allegations against the BCCI, claiming its clout needed to be stemmed before cricket was being dictated by one board with vested interests and power enough to cower a few others in their way.

Ranatunga has been against the expansion of the IPL from the very beginning, and his anger perhaps has been fuelled back the fact that the Sri Lankan cricketers played during the IPL 4 even at the height of missing crucial tour practice ahead of Sri Lanka’s tour of England, something India would not allow had the show been on the other foot. The voices for and against the growing IPL and BCCI control have been polarized, splitting the issues affecting the sport since the emergence of the IPL with players expressing strong views on the subject and none more pertinent than on the matter of club versus country as was being portrayed in the cases of Gautam Gambhir and Lasith Malinga amidst recent controversies surrounding IPL 4.

Malinga has recently alleged that it was under Ranatunga’s administration that his long term injury was not catered to while Ranatunga took up cudgels against the BCCI for manipulating Sri Lankan cricket and its functioning to suit its own tastes. Ranatunga was also not in favour of banning those cricketers who chose to sign up for the Indian Cricket League and thereby, earned further wrath from the BCCI and forced himself out of a post by circumstances within. Arjuna did not hold back when even alleging that the Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapakse, was behind the Sri Lankan cricketers forcing England out of their itinerary in favour of the IPL 2 season. Having fought the ways of the BCCI for such a long time, Ranatunga only believes that the weapon in the BCCI’s hands, the IPL, will eventually lead to an implosion that will devour international cricket. Hence, perhaps the use of the word monster.