Why the Lodha verdict is the best possible thing that could have happened to Indian cricket

Justice RM Lodha during the press conference for IPL verdict on the spot-fixing and betting scandal

In a country (India) with a population of almost 1.3 billion, cricket is the most followed, read, analysed and played sport. Every cricketer who represents the nation bears a huge amount of pressure from a billion expectations.

In such a scenario, do people really think that they can take these billion hopes for granted? I think the clear answer is ‘NO’, and that is exactly what the Justice RM Lodha Committee’s verdict on corruption in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has conveyed to us.

IPL’s popular teams Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were suspended for two years by the Supreme Court appointed Committee in connection with the 2013 IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal. Former CSK team official, Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals’ co-owner, Raj Kundra were suspended for life from any cricketing activity undertaken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The cash-rich Twenty20 league was started in 2008 with an aim to deliver an international playing platform to those Indian players who never got chances to showcase their skills to the world. It ran successfully until the 2013 spot-fixing and betting scandal that rocked the sport.

Since then, things have been rather unsavoury for the Indian cricket fans. The police clamped down a few of the culprits who were responsible, but the plot was much thicker and murkier. The highest authority of India, the Supreme Court, was forced to intervene and start cleaning the filth.

Demonstrators hold posters against Sreesanth and two other cricketers for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing

Fans of Indian cricket not only started to lose interest in the game but also started hating it. The depth of corruption was impossible to measure, as it was never limited to one person or a particular region. But soon the bugs started to get unearthed in tandem, and the Justice Lodha committee kept its promise of cleaning the game that India has always cherished and enjoyed.

Suspension or penalty may seem a bit harsh on some players, but it would be a small price to pay to get the complete trust of the fans back into the game. According to me, suspension for just two years is not enough! It should have been a minimum of five years because that is the time it will take to erase the treacherous memories from a billion minds.

The action of the people responsible has brought disrepute, as Justice Lodha said, to cricket, BCCI and IPL to such an extent that doubts abound in the public whether the game is clean or not. He added that the argument that these acts were personal and the franchise shouldn’t be held responsible, cannot be accepted.

Indeed, the verdict to suspend and ban the shamefaced was done in public interest. That’s why the decision is one of the best possible things to have ever happened to Indian cricket. As rays of good hope continue, we can rely on our country’s highest legal body to deliver justice.

The committee had also been specified by the Supreme Court to,

"Examine and make suitable recommendations to the BCCI for such reforms in its practices and procedures and such amendments in the Memorandum of Association, Rules and Regulations as may be considered necessary and proper."

The Supreme Court-appointed committee has done what the BCCI should have done long ago. It's a massive decision and should be taken in a positive manner.

The detoxification is slowly taking place. Kudos to the judges involved in the committee who went an extra level deeper to fetch the important details. Now people can wait for the judgement on the other two aspects this bench is working on, one of them being the way BCCI should be functioning. But again, one has to remember that BCCI is an independent body and its functioning is often oblivious to things being said or happening outside.

Supporters should not lose hope and interest; the game of cricket is also one of the best things to have ever happened to this nation, just like the verdict yesterday. An Indian fan or rather a cricket fan can expect some more strict actions against the wrongdoers, and a better place for cricket in the future.