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The auction, probably the first in the world to sell "real" people, is the idea of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the tournament founders. The event has not only sensationalized the sport but has also created a sense of awe in cricket-crazy India with the hefty pay packets assured to the players.
Indian Cements, owner of the Chennai franchise, bought Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who captains India's national squad in the "limited overs" version of the game, for a staggering US$1.5 million, while Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was pocketed by Deccan Chronicle's Hyderabad franchise for US$1.35 million -- amounts that convert to millions of rupees in India.
"I think people in general are a bit puzzled. They are not sure where all the megabucks will lead the actual sport apart from the players' pockets," said Subhash Singh, an avid cricket fan. So while a sense of delirium prevails over cricket fans, the event has been slammed by critics as a glamorous waste of power and money by some of India's top corporate entities and film personalities, who as franchise sponsors have hijacked the sport for their commercial interests.
However, people like Singh feel that the strong demand for the sport is bound to attract multimillion dollar venture capitalists and advertisers and that commercialization of the sport is inevitable. "If cricketers start getting millions of dollars, people are bound to envy them," he says. "Wherever there is demand, money is bound to follow. India's information technology industry is the finest example. Do you think the IT professionals deserve million-dollar packages? In a way every person gets auctioned."
The million-dollar question, however, remains whether international players who are the biggest draw for the tournament will find the time and the fitness to play in India, given their already crowded international match schedules.
Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the International Cricket Council, the top body for the sport, had initially said it would be difficult to slot in the tournament in the international cricket calendar. However, since seven full members of the ICC pledged support for the tournament, Speed has decided to consider freeing up a window in the calendar to accommodate the IPL.
He warned that negotiating the dates would not be easy, as international games scheduled elsewhere would need to be cleared from early April to mid-May when the Indian Premier League is on. Speed was also quoted by the media as saying that countries would need to agree on moving their tours if permitted by the ICC without affecting any other tour or ICC event.
However, for the IPL, which is a domestic tournament, to become a permanent fixture in the international cricket calendar under ICC approval, seven full members of the ICC would need to vote in its favor. Besides, other member countries of the ICC would also need to sort out their commitments to sponsors and broadcasters contracted years in advance.
Another worry for the IPL is its schedule from early April to mid-May, which would clash with the English county cricket season that also fields international players. In addition, the ICC has scheduled major tournaments during these months with the World Twenty20 Cup in June 2009 in England and the Champions Trophy in the West Indies in April 2010.
The IPL's top beneficiary is the BCCI. This means that the ICC does not get any share of the financial pie. A conflict of financial interest could possibly result in the ICC ruling against the tournament played under its laws and domain. This could have a domino effect on players and their contractual agreements with the IPL as well as their own country. While clever lobbying and tough negotiations from a strong and powerful BCCI would diffuse such a scenario, Speed has nevertheless raised the issue.
Critics also point out that the priority of International cricketers should be to play for their own country, which has coached, nurtured and developed their talents. Lured by auctions and money elsewhere is akin to paying obeisance to commercial gains rather than homage to the sport and commitment to one's own country.
Nevertheless, the IPL auction has opened a unique way to contract real players. Although the players were not present in person, video screens displayed their photos and performances. Even Richard Madley, the president of Christie's East who presided over eight hours of frenzied buying at the auction, could not help calling it a landmark event and the longest-ever day in his 30 years of auctioning.
"This is the first such thing in the world. So, today, not only was cricket history created, but auction history was also created," Madley told the media after the event.
It is anyone's guess and game whether auction history will expand to cricket glory on the ground. One can only hope that ground realities would be commensurate with the prices that players have commanded.
The tournament, scheduled to run for 44 days with 59 matches including two semi-finals and a final, will begin in April of this year. Contracting players by auction is a one-time affair for this calendar year only, and regional franchisees would need to source players independently thereafter. The BCCI certainly seems to have won this round.
