Stop 'Gambling Game' of Cricket Auction: Thackeray to Pawar


PTI

Mumbai, Feb 22: Dubbing the auctioning of cricketers by the BCCI-promoted Indian Premier League as "a gambling game of industrialists" Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray on Friday asked the Cricket Board President Sharad Pawar to stop it.

In an open letter to Pawar published on the front page of Friday's edition of Sena mouthpiece 'Samana', Thackrey said such open display of wealth does not augur well for the Indian cricket where players are being auctioned for money.

He said the whole thing has started only to checkmate Indian Cricket League (ICL), the rebel league promoted by Subhash Chandra-led Essel Group.

The auction of over 60 players, including those from other Test playing countries, was held in Mumbai on Wednesday.

"Oh Pawar, what is happening in the realm of cricket?", said the Sena chief, who is the newspaper's editor. "These industrialists are throwing money in your cricket field as a result of which cricket is getting corrupt. "Cricketers are being purchased as a result this their concentration will not be in the game and the sport will decline in this country," he warned.

"If this is how industrialists wield their money then a day will come when there will be no need of government because it will be the industrialists who will call the shots and run the country," Thackeray said.

"Stop this gambling of industrialists and save cricket. You (Pawar) have the guts to do it, don't you?", the letter added.

  

Top Stories

Comment on this article

  • Purushottama, Byndoor

    Sun, Feb 24 2008

    Cricket Betting is a sin.Cricketers auctioning is not.! BCCI collects 3000 crores of public money - yet it is legally recognised Private Trust and no Government on earth can touch it! To understand our laws and judicial interpretations we should pray the almighty to give us that (unusual) Wisdom(?)

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Eric Coelho, Mangalore

    Sat, Feb 23 2008

    Finally Cricket has come out of the Chapter of being a Gentleman's Game. There are many issues in Cricket that we have to raise right from the Start of Match Fixing to Sale of Cricketers. Whom should we blame.

    When Azharuddin played for India in One Day Internationals the Indian Public came to watch putting their hard earned money but the said Cricketer had already sold the Match before its start. Though he is Stripped off he still walks with his head held High. The Beauty of Cricket ended with retirement of Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Richards, Clive Lloyd, Lillie, Chappells, Andy Roberts, Gordon Greenidge, Imran Khan, Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrashekar and many more legends.

    Cricket has become like a fast Food Joint from 5 days to 1 day to 3 Hours. Today's cricketers will not be legends or who will uphold the name of Cricket. They will pay Cricket to Fill their Pockets or spin more money into their Bank so that they open Coffee Shops, build Swimming Pools, build Palatial Houses and so on.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse


Leave a Comment

Title: Stop 'Gambling Game' of Cricket Auction: Thackeray to Pawar



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.