Cricket Xtra: Advertising ban would harm India cricket

Ajit Vijaykumar 08:50 22/02/2016
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  • Problems ahead: Kohli.

    Indian cricket, as we know it, could soon cease to exist. If that sounds like a far-fetched statement, believe me, it isn’t.

    Remember the clean-up of Indian cricket that was spearheaded by the country’s Supreme Court and its panel, headed by Justice RM Lodha, in the aftermath of the IPL spot-fixing scandal? Well, it turns out the court is adamant on a complete overhaul, even if it means destabilising the foundations of the existing structure.

    While the apex judicial body in India oversaw the suspension of IPL franchises Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings and the subsequent removal of N Srinivasan from the post of BCCI chief, the next round of actions will most definitely end up crippling the game in the short run.

    Of the many recommendations of the Lodha panel, the most astounding one pertains to advertisements. More specifically, having advertisements only during scheduled innings breaks like lunch, drinks or tea in international matches.

    While there can be some debate on whether there should be a bar on government ministers representing associations or those over 70 not allowed to hold office (some of the many Lodha panel suggestions), they won’t exactly bring cricket to a standstill. But if the court has its way and the BCCI is forced to fall in line regarding advertisements, it will have far reaching consequences.

    According to various reports, the Indian board could lose up to 70 per cent of its revenues if advertisers can’t be accommodated during the course of a match. In money terms, that is a loss of around Indian rupees 16 billion (Dh850m).

    While the court might want an interruption free telecast of matches, the fact remains that the surfeit of advertisements during India’s matches is what keeps the whole machine running.

    Broadcasters pay the Indian board big bucks for match rights and they in turn stuff as many ads as possible to recover the money. So, for example, Star – who hold the broadcasting right in the country until 2018 – pay the BCCI around INR 400m per match and if it can’t show enough ads to recover the cost, the contract with the board will be renegotiated, as is being feared, and that will lead to a massive cut in revenues for the board.

    A 70 per cent fall in revenue will have disastrous consequences. The first to be hit will be the age-group categories. India’s Under 16 and Under 19 cricket is in robust health, thanks to the support shown by the board. If the board’s focus is forced to be shifted to keeping senior cricket afloat, one can only imagine what will happen to the age-group teams, tournaments and camps.

    After that, the next to feel the strain will be state associations and their ability to maintain existing infrastructure. Then, the only other robust source of revenue for the board will be the Indian Premier League and to expect it to take care of the national team and various age-groups is not a healthy idea.

    The recommendation has the potential to do so much damage, that the BCCI decided this week to challenge it in court. And I feel such a restriction on revenue source is too extreme a step, even if the ultimate aim is to provide an interruption free experience for the viewers.

    Before we go down this path of perceived righteousness, just stop for while and see where the road ends. Because if money is taken out of India cricket, the resulting fall from such great heights will be catastrophic.

    The Shami enigma

    India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been away from international cricket for close to a year now.

    The last match he played for India was against Australia in the semi-final of the World Cup. He played through that tournament with a knee injury and underwent surgery thereafter. That kept him out of action for most of 2015.

    He was supposed to make a comeback in the limited overs tour of Australia last month but he injured his hamstring before playing a game and is now firmly on the bench. Now the pacer has been ruled out of the Asia Cup as well, putting serious doubts over his availability for the World T20 next month.

    So the question is, why was he in the World T20 mix at all?

    Shami has no doubt been one of the most reliable Indian pacers of late but no cricketer, no matter how good, can stay out of the game for so long, hardly play any competitive cricket and be on top of his game on his return.

    It is simply impossible for Shami to be 100 per cent ready for the World T20 and even if he had played in the Asia Cup, taking a chance on him at the biggest stage is bordering on foolishness.

    Even Dale Steyn is not his fiery self following his return from injury so one should not expect a pacer at the start of his career to recover so quickly.

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