Lalit Modi, zip it
Today, I posted over at Different Strokes commenting on Lalit Modi's initial response to the release of the independent report commissioned by players' unions in England, Australia and South Africa that has led to talk of shifting the 2010 IPL to another country. By the time that post went up, I was regretting having ever said anything even mildly complimentary about that man. For Modi had followed up with more.
For I heard that Modi has a Twitter feed (I heard he had tweeted my article; good lord!). When I went to Modis' Twitter page. There, I was amazed to see Modi getting stuck into one and all. His crack at Ponting being "dropped by KKR" was ridiculous and infantile. (See this story, which includes a quote from Saurav Ganguly, to see why thats the case).
To say that I'm dumbstruck would be an understatement. What is this man up to? Why does he spend so much time tweeting, especially when he seems prone to making intemperate statements like the one against Ponting? I'm still having a hard time believing that a man who occupies such a powerful position in cricket spends time on Twitter, getting into juvenile tit-for-tats. I shouldn't be surprised I suppose, but I still am.
Anyway, on more pleasant topics: coming up soon, a post on SRT's double-ton. Either here, or on Different Strokes.
For I heard that Modi has a Twitter feed (I heard he had tweeted my article; good lord!). When I went to Modis' Twitter page. There, I was amazed to see Modi getting stuck into one and all. His crack at Ponting being "dropped by KKR" was ridiculous and infantile. (See this story, which includes a quote from Saurav Ganguly, to see why thats the case).
To say that I'm dumbstruck would be an understatement. What is this man up to? Why does he spend so much time tweeting, especially when he seems prone to making intemperate statements like the one against Ponting? I'm still having a hard time believing that a man who occupies such a powerful position in cricket spends time on Twitter, getting into juvenile tit-for-tats. I shouldn't be surprised I suppose, but I still am.
Anyway, on more pleasant topics: coming up soon, a post on SRT's double-ton. Either here, or on Different Strokes.
Labels: IPL, Lalit Modi, Ricky Ponting
posted by Samir Chopra at 8:30 PM
12 Comments:
Did you see this one, soon after Sachin got his double?
India is the best team without any doubt. IPL will rock next.
Besides, I don't know whether you remember, but, before the auction of IPL2, Michael Clarke had withdrawn from the auction. Lalit Modi went on record saying that he withdrew because he was scared that he wouldn't be picked by any team. Lalit continued by saying that he advised Clarke to bring down his starting price, but he didn't budge!
I also remember that there were talks of Symmo having his contract torn up a month or 2 before the IPL2. If memory serves me right, he said that it would be good as he would be available for the whole IPL!
While his biz skills are, undoubtedly, superb, his way of handling 'stakeholders' leaves a lot to be desired!
Samir,
On a side note, what was Ricky Ponting doing in the meeting between the ACA and the IPL contracted players?
He is not a member of either the Executive Committee nor of the Staff. He is not an office bearer with FICA
He is not in the list of Australian players contracted for IPL 3. He is not captain of the Australian T20 cricket team.
Then there is this
Australian players held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the security situation in India and it's believed Ponting called for a united front from all players on the issue, so if one pulled out, they should all pull out.
Begs the question doesnt it - what is Ricky Ponting's locus standi in the entire matter?
Cheers,
Your blog is my daily dose of cricket caffeine and after sachin's world record when i come back i see your post about Lalit Modi WTF??
when we are all expecting a post on Sachin...samir bhai...you disappointed us all
Modi is a mad person. I dont think anyone should take him seriously. He has a developed a good product and should help the product grow rather than kill it.
Typical Indian promoter mentality.. thinks he owns "people".. does not realise that it is because of them he is surviving ..
Samir, I'm glad to see you make a distinction between the sensible Modispeak you drew attention to and the rest.
Homer, I was wondering about the Ponting issue as well - plenty of questions there. However, as far as presence at the meeting goes, I assume it was a meeting of the ACA, rather than between the ACA exec and certain players.
Where is the blog on Sachins 200 Idiot we dont need foreign players in IPL I will still watch it for the exuberance of Indian Players.NBA NHL NFL all has exclusively players from America(with some exceptions) but they still call it as the world championships and the viewership for the international games in these sports are miserably low when compared with the domestic leagues.You had lived outside India so you are used to feel inferior to "White masters" but you see i live in India For me it doesnt matter like the Americans of the international players play or not.Not one Indian rupee should be wasted on these international players Infact India should stop playing international matches cause we are funding 80% of the money for cricket
Exactly what happens when the creator thinks he is bigger than the creation....Take Ponting, Freddie, Clarke, Chris Gayle, Sangakkara and other international players out and we'll soon know how discredited IPL will be....whoever gave this Modi guy all the hype and credit..???
Thiru: Precisely, this seems like bad PR. Do businessmen in other domains spend time attacking folks whose goodwill and co-operation is necessary? And if it is not, is there any reason to act so arrogantly about it?
Homer: Does Ponting have to have some sort of official standing to offer an opinion to the Australian players?
Ponting is the test captain of Australia. In that cricketing culture, he is automatically an Elder. His opinion carries weight. Indians aren't the only folks in the world who tend to take Elders' advice seriously. Why shouldn't he offer advice to Australian players? If I'm considering a job offer which includes traveling to, say, Bolivia, should I not talk to folks who have traveled there before, who might know something, whose experiences in life might help me make an informed decision?
Craigslist: Sorry about that :) A post on Sachin is going up on Different Strokes pretty soon. Hopefully, sometime later today.
Jonathan: I find his presence unsurprising to be honest. Why should he not be invited to offer his opinions on the matter?
Anon: Some temperance on his part would be useful.
Toothpicker: I think the IPL would easily survive with a reduced international presence. The domestic market is pretty big. Indeed, I wish it had started that way and then introduced some international players as it went along.
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