As the CAB president, how are you gearing up for the IPL Twenty-20 carnival?
Exciting times are ahead for Bengal cricket. But to be frank, I am having mixed feelings about the new challenge. While I am optimistic about organising an event that has never been tried out before, I am also a little apprehensive about the enormity of the whole event. There are so many things to co-ordinate; which are mind-boggling. More than anything else, organising the IPL is going to be a learning experience.
Are preparations on track for the 44-day tournament?
The good thing about the project is that it's so huge that we have had to split it all up. While Shah Rukh Khan's company Red Chillies is taking care of the entertainment bit, my job as the CAB president is to look after the cricketing front. And then we have a management group, IMG looking after the logistics for the matches. Having said that, there's still a huge task cut out for my team, that is, for the cricket administration. Consider this --- seven matches to be played at the Eden Gardens in a span of 44 days. It's actually like hosting a One-Day International match every week, for one-and-a-half months.
How crucial is Shah Rukh Khan's presence for the tournament's success?
I am moved to see the enthusiasm, Shah Rukh has for the project. Right from the launching ceremony in Kolkata, I got to closely observe him. And he clearly left the impression that he would be intensely involved in organising the tournament. Even when I discussed with him the niggling internal issues, he never gave the impression that he was here to do business. Instead, he made enormous concessions and sacrifices.
Do you think Kolkata IPL will stand out among the rest of the hosting venues?
By the time the IPL draws towards the end, you will find that the Kolkata chapter will be the clear winner in terms of popularity. That's only because of one factor --- Shah Rukh Khan. He's too big a name to be directly involved with the IPL. Shah Rukh has promised us he will attend all the seven matches at the Eden Gardens. His direct involvement and presence will make thousands of people turn up every time he shows up. Look at the other teams. They too have huge names like Vijay Mallya and Mukesh Ambani. But Shah Rukh's case is totally different. Not just because he's a massive crowd-puller, but also his involvement in the entire event is massive. So, Kolkata IPL is bound to be a big hit.
What steps are you taking to ensure spectators fill up the Eden's vast stands?
Spectator turnout is on top of our agenda. That's why we have settled for really reasonable ticket prices. Shah Rukh has constantly maintained that we must have a full house at the Eden for all the seven matches. And that's possible only through affordable tickets.
I don't remember if the ticket prices at the Eden in recent years for an international match were as low as this — Rs 200, Rs 400 and Rs 600. There are other factors also, which, we are hoping, will ensure spectators turn up. A Twenty-20 match between 7 pm and10 pm is like going for an evening movie. A large number of youngsters will turn up.
Then, of course, there are many players to watch in the seven matches in which the Kolkata team plays against seven entirely different sides comprising whole new international stars. It's not like a Test match where people have this mentality of dropping by for a day or two at the most. In fact, we are ready to accommodate the crowds with better arrangements at the stadium, and that's a challenge too.
The ticket-sharing dispute is snowballing into a bigger issue with members taking CAB and Shah Rukh to court. What's your take?
It hurts me a lot to find that for nothing Shah Rukh is getting targeted, despite making hefty concessions and sacrifices to ensure the IPL takes place smoothly. It's cruel, in fact. Take a look at the figures — after the ticket-sharing dispute was brought to his notice, Shah Rukh's company Red Chillies went on to sacrifice over Rs 2 crore of the stadium revenue over ticket concessions for the seven matches put together. They even made massive concessions for the expensive Club House tickets.
In fact, we, the CAB, have sacrificed 8,000 general stand tickets in exchange for 300 extra Club House tickets to compensate Red Chillies for the big sacrifices they are making for the public.
One has to understand how difficult it is for such huge concessions to be worked out. People are complaining. But do you see anybody talking about these figures.
Do you think the criticism of the CAB's handling of the IPL is genuine or is it a plain tactic of the opposition to pressurise you before the CAB elections this July?
Behind the criticism and protests over the IPL lies plain Maidan politics. Had there been any genuine problems, the protesters and aggrieved parties would have said on my face what the problem was, but that never happened.
When I hold working committee meetings, everyone is quiet, everyone nods and no one raises a question.
But the moment the same people come out of the meeting, they start giving out interviews to the media, going on and on about how their problems are being overlooked by the CAB administration.
You have often said you were a victim of double standards when it came to Maidan politics.
Throughout this one year, I have been subjected to double standards of the people. Take the case of Rizwanur Rehman. When it occurred, the CAB's opposition lobby raised a hue and cry, claiming that I should step down as the CAB president, although that episode had absolutely nothing to do with my career as a cricket administrator. Now look back at those days of the match-fixing era and later, when Jagmohan Dalmiya's houses were raided by the Income-Tax authorities. It had much to do with cricket, although indirectly. But the same people who called for my head didn't seek Dalmiya's removal as cricket administrator at that time. That's the double standard I am talking about. It's demoralising. But I make a conscious effort to bring everybody on board and try to be as democratic as possible in cricket administration.
How is your equation with Dalmiya today?
Dalmiya and I have never been bitter enemies. This so-called rivalry between us is simply a media-created myth. Yes, we have contested the CAB elections against each other. But we have no personal enmity. In fact, Dalmiya and I have known each other for a long time. What I dislike are the people around Dalmiya who always try to polarise the different factions and gain out of it.