The incident – BCCI banning six-star Indian cricketers- had happened a long time ago, before the legendary cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne executed their idea of All-Star Cricket League in the USA., for playing in the USA.
Former cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Glenn McGrath, Courtney Walsh, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Muttiah Muralitharan flew to the USA with a dream to take the first step to popularize the cricket in the world’s richest country the USA. The entire cricket world, including game’s governing body the ICC hailed the idea.
But, it was two and half decades ago when six Indian players -Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Mohammed Azharuddin, Arun Lal and Kiran More – after losing the four-match Test series 3-0 to West Indies in the Carribean had flown to North America to play exhibition matches. They did not take permission from BCCI, which did not have as big stature as they have today.
An economically weak cricket governing body Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who was rebuked by Melbourne Cricket Club during 1983 World Cup final for requesting extra tickets, banned them for a year. They were the heart of Indian team.
Like modern Indian cricketers, who are not allowed to play in other franchise T20 league in any other countries like Australia, West Indies, and Bangladesh, Indian players in 1970 were also not allowed to ply their trade in Kerry Packer’s cricket insurgency. There was no money in cricket until India adopted a liberal economic policy to strengthen the weak economy. In 1991 with the intervention of International Monetary Fund (IMF) the decision of P. V. Narasimha Rao government’s finance minister Manmohan Singh to allow Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) opened the gate of the overseas brand in BCCI.
Cricket already became a religion in India after the 1983 World Cup victory, but the popularity was never channelized into money until the overseas brands approached BCCI to woo the Indian consumers.
But, those six players, who were punished by BCCI for playing in North America had no other option as BCCI could not give them money. They were restless as players from West Indies, Australia and England opted to ply in Packer’s insurgency ODI cricket series in Australia in a rainbow jersey.
A generation of cricketers who were deprived of a taste of the economic liberation didn’t have as much money as today’s players.
BCCI banned Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Mohammed Azharuddin, Arun Lal and Kiran More. But, its ban stick could not work like England and Australia cricket board as they banned their players who were playing in Karry Packer’s series. Indian players filed a petition against the ban in the Indian Supreme Court. The apex court of the country gave the verdict against the decision of the board. BCCI suffered a big public relations lapse.
But BCCI, though did select these players for the next tour in Pakistan, but Krishnamachari Srikkanth was made the captain as India toured Pakistan tour. India managed to draw the four-match series.
One of the main reason BCCI did not have much money was national broadcasters Doordarshan’s monopoly over cricket broadcasting in the country. Doordarshan used to not give BCCI a single penny from the profit. Jagmohan Dalmiya, the secretary broke the Doordarshan’s feudal control over broadcasting right with the help of Punjab Cricket Association chief IS Bindra, Saurashtra Cricket Association chief Niranjan Shah and BCCI president Madhavrao Scindia.
The new broadcaster Trans World International which brim the BCCI’s coffers to start eastern imperialism in cricket during England’s tour of India in 1992. Doordarshan had to pay TWI $1 million while TWI paid BCCI $600,000.
But, the 1983 World Cup winning players enjoyed the least of BCCI’s huge income after economic liberation as they were on the brink of retirement.