A public clean-up act is important for IPLs credibility

Its the same audacity that makes him rub people the wrong way. He can be charming but he can be arrogant too and he is not his best PR manager. In his adrenaline fuelled,high speed world where everything was needed yesterday,he can ride roughshod over anything he perceives to be an impediment to his idea.

Now,it appears he has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and has presented a classic dilemma to the BCCI: Can you look at a weakness and jettison the strength? Can you throw the baby out with the bathwater? And yet,a brand must not just be clean but has to be seen to be clean in the eyes of its consumers for it to become great. Whether or not the IPL is unclean,there is little doubt it is being seen to be that way and that is cause enough for immediate redressal. The BCCI must act very fast.

They could take the stand that people need not know the ownership of a brand as long as they like it. But the best-known brands acquire respectability,and therefore longevity,only if they are seen to be clean. And the one non-negotiable fact is that the law of the land must be followed in letter,if not always in spirit. And so if the IPL retains ambitions of becoming one of sports greatest global brands,it must go out of the way to be seen to be above board. I suspect that will be the easier alternative than allowing politicians to eye it. They are circling at the moment,eager to grab a bite.

And that is why the BCCI must immediately promise the cricket-loving people of India a public clean-up act. The Satyam model,as the Indian Express so appropriately states,is probably the best way to go about it. When Satyam began going under for reasons of corporate propriety,the government stepped in to protect Brand India because a hit for Satyam would have been a hit to the image of India in the software industry. Cricket can do without the government stepping in but to prevent that,they must promise similar action and implement it speedily.

I would think an independent regulatory body made up of people of integrity,who understand the law,the game and the sensitivity of the people is mandatory. Deepak Parekh,who did that with Satyam,Soli Sorabjee,Fali Nariman,Narayana Murthy,if he has the time a Ratan Tata,even an Anil Kumble. These people will have access to everything in the BCCI and the IPL,will suggest procedures to be followed for all financial activity and will have the power to demand compliance.

Thereafter they,or a smaller version of this advisory entity,could remain in the form of an ombudsman (dictionary definition: nongovernmental complaint investigator; somebody,especially a man,responsible for investigating and resolving complaints from consumers or other members of the public against a company,institution,or other organisation).

We could dispense with the especially a man part but not the essence of what the definition states; that the public that makes a sport profitable should have the right to ask relevant questions and get answers. It might be painful but great brands take the trouble to be seen to be clean.

I believe this could be an opportunity for the BCCI and Indian cricket to emerge stronger. The question is what do they do with Lalit Modi? I think as CEO,or a commissioner,of whatever nomenclature you use,reporting to the BCCI and to the independent regulator would seem possible in an ideal world. But that is one for legal and corporate minds!