http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bishan-Singh-Bedi-c48133 lambasts IPL – Cricket News Update
The former Indian captain, Bishan Singh Bedi, on Thursday came hard on the cash rich Twenty20 league, the IPL, saying that the people who are raving about it are ‘mad’.
Speaking to the media reporters as IPL5 heads towards the business end, Bedi said that the tournament is all about money, adding that it traps youngsters, adversely affecting their careers and growth in the original, 5-day format.
“People who are raving about IPL are mad. They are raving about IPL because of the money,” said the 65-year-old Bedi in an interview to an Indian sports channel.
“This nonsense is all about money, money and more money. The base of the entire IPL is very, very fragile,” he added further.
The real connoisseurs of cricket have been criticising the Twenty20 league since its inception in 2008. But despite the criticism, it has always been popular with ratings and attendances increasing considerably with every passing year. Many cricketing stars,
including the Indian batting prodigy http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556, have been playing and promoting the tournament.
But Bedi said that the players like Tendulkar, Dravid and Australian skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978 are almost done with their international careers and take the lucrative league as a source of entertainment and make some money as well. But the young players, who
are yet to start their career or have just started their career are being spoilt by following the footsteps of such big players. The former Indian skipper urged the youngsters not to get lured by the money in IPL and focus on the longer formats of the game.
“I fear for the younger generation because they will get very restless and impatient to apply their minds to the bigger and longer lasting skills of the game,” said the former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Punjab-c833 left-arm spinner.
“I am very concerned and I am very upset that some of our so-called administrators and cricket greats are not bothered about this aspect,” he added further.
The former Indian left-arm spinner also said that the money-spinning Indian Premier League is not a sports event , rather it is a business without principles.
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