Sportstar-VOL.35 :: NO.22 :: May. 31, 2012

Cover Story

Like selling one's soul to Satan
The BCCI and other cricketing bodies including the ICC, should implement more stringent measures that will deter players from answering that life-altering call from an obnoxious bookie. And most importantly the cricketers too should embrace honesty and recognise the first principle behind their early forays into sport — back then they played for its sheer joy. Money and fame-factory's blind alley came in much later though most now live in a bubble, writes K. C. Vijaya Kumar. 

On The Ball

W.V. RAMAN COLUMN
Protect the interests of the uncapped Indian players
Putting up the uncapped players on auction will make it a level playing field for the players as well as the franchisees. In addition, it will also help immensely in preventing the people concerned to look at ways and means of beating the system. 

Cricket

THE IPL CONTROVERSY
A cross-section of views
At hand here are two questions: 1. Are individual players guilty of accepting money to underperform? 2. Are outcomes pre-decided? Although there could be overlap the two issues must not be collated, writes Shreedutta Chidananda. 

IPL ROUND-UP
When cricket took a back seat
The last round of the IPL, before the play-offs, would be more remembered for the incidents off the field as the cash-rich league grappled to protect its falling reputation. By Vijay Lokapally.

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IPL DIARY
Controversies galore, off the field
Like one sledgehammer blow after another, controversies of all kinds have dogged the IPL. By Arun Venugopal. 

IPL in the seventh week

Football

KICKING AROUND
Climax: What Climax?
The sheer drama of the last day of the season contest between the two Manchester teams provoked a flood of misguided, sentimental, obsequious effusion from Press and Television. But the undoubted last day drama obscured the fact that the Premiership has been anything but truly distinguished. Over to Brian Glanville. 

Motorsport

INTERVIEW/GAURAV GILL
‘I'm increasingly committed now'
Podium finishes in the two rounds of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship so far and second in the standings — Gaurav Gill really fancies his chance of winning the championship this season. “Why not? The way it's going this year, I'm pretty happy. I'm going to get faster and more consistent,” he says in a chat with Shreedutta Chidananda. 

Squash

ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP
A new dawn
For the first time in the three decades of the Asian Championship, India emerged champion in the women's section. Over to S. R. Suryanarayan.