It’s time we redeemed ourselves from this private enterprise of vested interests, which is replete with self-breeding conflicts, called Indian cricket.

The alleged conflict of interest of MS Dhoni that shocked the country on Monday following BCCI’s autoclean-farce in Chennai the previous day make it absolutely clear for the nth time that Indians are fools if they think Indian cricket has anything to do with them, or their aspirations.

The developments also make them realise that it is a profit-driven private enterprise run by a highly exclusive club of private interests that effectively feeds off millions of Indians, many of who probably go to bed hungry.

Its muscle and might come from the blind following of these millions, including the 400-odd million who make up billion-dollar TV rights, and their sheer loyalty to everything that the cricketers do and say.

In return, they get matches in which bowlers sell an over for Rs 40-60 lakhs to underworld criminals; a captain who can have multiple business interests that directly conflict with the basic ethics of the game and the principles of its conduct, and a Board president who has an intricate web of conflicting interests besides a son-in-law who allegedly likes to make some money on the side by betting on the same game that his father-in-law and captain-friend are managing.

It’s bizarre that this is the same game that people are crazy about.

Thirteen years ago, when some of the big names of Indian cricket were involved in a match fixing scandal and many cricketing greats were seen washing dirty linen on spy-cam, we were shocked. The dirty deals, the dubious links of some super-stars and the amounts of money discussed were disgusting; still we went back to cricket because we were told that a few rotten eggs don’t besmirch a glorious game.

We were also made to believe again and again that cricket was a national game and the cricketers were upholding the prestige of India. That made us follow Dhoni and company as demi-gods because we believed that they were our national property. The national and state governments also treated them like heroes giving them tax breaks and massive cash awards.

But whenever there is a crisis, like the one unfolding over the last three weeks, and we ask questions on accountability, they turn around and say that they are not accountable to us or even the government because they are managed by BCCI, which is a private body.

Even as it operates on countless government concessions and public trust, BCCI is totally impervious to our simple questions on governance and probity because it is not a government body. They don’t care even if the sports minister asks them questions. That is precisely why MS Dhoni will get away with his alleged promotion of a few team-mates, and the BCCI with its unquestionable ways, while similar allegations against minister Shashi Tharoor had cost him his job.

Therefore, if the BCCI says that it is a private entity, and cricketers, both past and present, take cover behind its privateness, let’s also consider it as a private entity which is driven by money.

It’s time we redeemed ourselves from this private enterprise of vested interests, which is replete with self-breeding conflicts, called Indian cricket.

The method for this redemption is de-nationalisation. It may sound ironical how a private enterprise can be de-nationalised. The answer is: if we cannot nationalise Indian cricket, let’s denationalise it because it has been masquerading as a national institution to merely exploit its attendant privileges.

Here are seven simple steps for de-nationalising Indian cricket

1. The “Indian” cricket team should be prevented from commercially exploiting the title “India” and the national flag.

2. Immediately recover the few hundred crore rupees that the BCCI owes the Income Tax department. According to this Indian Express report, it owed Rs 373 crore for 2009-2011 alone. “The department expects the figures to multiply several times once the assessment for the period of 2010-11 and 2011-12 are finalized,” the report said. In the past, BCCI enjoyed IT exemption owing to its charitable veneer.

3. Revoke the Rs 45 crore tax concession given to ICC for the 2011 World Cup. Don’t give any more concessions and exemptions to ICC or any other national or international cricketing body.

4. Revoke all the concessions on the real estate — stadiums, office space etc — and exemptions of local taxes, if any, enjoyed by the state cricket associations that are affiliated to the BCCI. Charge a premium for police, security and traffic arrangements.

5. Immediately take action on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Finance (38th Report) on issues such as: violation of tax laws, service tax evasion, violation of FEMA provisions, violation of companies act etc and bring to book those found guilty.

6. Declare IPL as entertainment and tax accordingly.

7. Make the findings of the Standing Public Committee on BCCI/IPL public.

In the following paragraph taken from the Standing Committee report, BCCI president Srinivasan appears embarrassingly apologetic when he speaks of Lalit Modi:

“We were taken for a ride. I know we cannot plead before you that we did not know all this was happening. Your question would be, were you not vigilant; what did you do? I am sorry, Sir, unfortunately, there was too much of power given to him. Sir, answer to one question, was he above the IPL at that time? The powers given to him were like that and that is how he acted. It is no defense for me to say that some of us objected to it. What defense? No defense in front of you. So, I am not pleading that at all. We just put our heads down.”

But when it comes to his own turf, he gets defiant and self-righteous while the vice president of his company and the captain of Indian team smirks at the media.

Indian cricket in the present form is not worth our time and money.