New Delhi: If somebody told Sir Don Bradman that cricketers will be sold 75 years hence, he would have dismissed the thought like his ferocious cut shots past point. But in 2011, it will be four years since Lalit Modi helped the BCCI laugh its way to the bank after the Board gave a body to his ambitious blueprint in 2008 in the guise of the Indian Premier League.
We, however, are not here to talk about the grapes that turned sour after third edition of the league in 2010, leading to police cases, termination of franchises, suspension of the league's commissioner and the formation of disciplinary committees.
Year 2011 has stepped in and the franchisees are busy drafting the final list of players they want to bid for in the upcoming players' auction on January 8 and 9. But that's not the only highlight of the 2011 edition.
The eight regular bidders will be joined by two new ones from Kochi and Pune, adding the Roys to challenge the Mallyas and the Ambanis. That's, though, not all! After getting an interim relief from the High Court in the form of stay on their termination by the BCCI, the presence of King's XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals is set to make the BCCI and fellow bidders uncomfortable.
The two-day-long tug of war over bidding for top players is set to be intense, with only two teams - Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians - using the retention clause to its fullest by retaining four players. That means many of the top players like Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Adam Gilchrist and Chris Gayle are up for grabs.
But it may only be the tip of the iceberg considering the BCCI's estranged relations with Kings XI and Royals and its legal battle with the suspended former IPL commissioner. There may be many hair-rising last-minute surprises in store in the week leading up to the auctions.
All one can hope for is the game doesn't come into disrepute because of the alleged dirty linen worn by some of the owners and administrators running the IPL.
The IPL has certainly brought a landmark change in the way game is now being looked upon. And while the players rake in the moolah, they need to take care that the taxing schedule of the league - which, in 2011, takes place just five days after the World Cup final on April 2 - doesn't cut short their careers.
