The IPL governing council has mooted the idea of instituting a continuous programme during the IPL off-season to guide the age-group player about managing their careers more professionally. The idea was suggested by the interim president of the BCCI for IPL, Sunil Gavaskar, at the governing council meeting here on Thursday.
“When I met the four legends — Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and Anil Kumble — in Dubai during the start of the IPL, one of the things that came out of the discussion with them was that the lot of young players playing in the tournament need to be guided,” Gavsakar said at a media interaction after the governing council meeting.
“The idea has been accepted by the IPL governing council and it now needs to be ratified by the BCCI working committee. I am hopeful such a programme will be helpful in saving young players from getting carried away in a tournament like the IPL which is one of the most covered events in the world,” the legendary former India captain said.
Final in Bangalore The governing council also decided to stick to its decision of having the IPL-7 final at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on June 1. “We received a request from Mumbai Cricket Association president Sharad Pawar to reconsider the decision and get the match to Mumbai, which is the defending champion. We revisited the decision after the request but the GC found it proper to take cricket to different venues,” said IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal.
Another big factor going against Mumbai not getting the final was the “sound and fireworks restriction” which is in force in the city after 10 p.m. “As the MCA was not forthcoming about getting a relaxation on this restriction, we had to move the venue as it was not possible to compromise on the big celebrations that follow the final,” Gavaskar said.
Analysing the situation after the betting and spot-fixing scandal rocked the tournament in the previous season; Gavaskar the IPL-7 had been able to restore credibility. “It was a big challenge for us, but things have been fine so far. I have always maintained that IPL 2014 should be remembered for good cricket and nothing else,” Gavaskar said.
“A couple of players have reported to their integrity officers of being approached (by bookies). It has been intimated to the anti-corruption and security unit of ICC and they are looking at it,” Gavaskar said.
