All is not fine with the IPL
The humongous fines being levied for sundry offenses has been a water cooler theme in recent days. Here’s Aakash Chopra on the subject:
While a fine is perhaps the only way to book the guilty, the flip side of it baffles me. The third offence not only led to Sangakkara’s ban but also another whopping fine of $250,000. Sangakkara might not have a problem in paying $110k ($20k for the first offence and $40k & $50k for the other two), others in the team, especially the local Indian recruits are sure to feel the pinch shelling out $30,000 each. Some of them are earning no more than a few lakhs for the entire tournament and if they happened to be fined twice, they may take home nothing. One more offence and these players will have to pay from their pockets to play in the IPL. Most franchisees would happily pay the fine, but it’s only a gesture. Since they are not forced to pay, one cannot really hold it against them if they decide otherwise.
I thought Bhajji’s fine in IPL-1 for the ‘slapgate’ (sorry!) was extortionary too but lacked the clarity of thought to express it.
Akash has expressed it well – a fine should be confined to match earnings & a censure limited to ban from games or the game. Even Azhar was not fined based on his ‘projected’ earnings.
Naughty thought: Is this a revenue stream for BCCI? Who gets the fine, the BCCI, IPL or the franchise?