Globally, replacing IMG with a competitor who could get the job done would not only be possible, but the success associated with such a move would be probable, especially if a replacement was found among other leading sports management firms. In India unfortunately, the options available beyond IMG for hosting this mega-event, are virtually non-existent. Therefore, if tomorrow IMG is replaced with an indigenous sports management firm, or even if the League decides to conduct the event by itself, the logistics, experience, relationships, expertise in broadcasting, and other such vital elements of sports management, will be hard to replicate. Factor in the skilled services, and especially the legal support that a firm like IMG gives to the League out of its international offices, and one would have some gigantic shoes to fill.

There is very little that can derail the IPL apart from implosion, and the benefit of the doubt must be given to the League today, before one finds out the true reasons behind the termination. If however, it’s a matter of conservative cost-cutting measures or if it’s to do with an aversion to allowing the balance of power to shift to other circles, then there is a cause for concern.

Making a habit out of bluffs and crying wolf isn’t the best way to foster a sense of trust and reliance however, and as the League matures, one would hope that there would be greater focus on the written word and good faith, and less on the uncertainty surrounding decade-long contracts, and the front page second-guessing.

In all likelihood the matter will be resolved, and the IPL will return larger than life, and twice as flamboyant. What isn’t ascertainable is how the ease with which the League is able to do business will impact the League from a long term perspective and its perception. It’s not that IMG’s value-add to the IPL cannot be provided by some other entity over time. It’s just that in today’s day and age no one else can bring what a global sports management firm does to the table for a lavish visual, substantive, and qualitative 45-day feast.

That aside, one could question the prudence of upsetting a cart laden with golden apples with a diamond core, merely for a few crores: not a princely sum when one looks at the valuation the League commands.

The author is a Sports Attorney at J. Sagar Associates.

(The views expressed here are personal)

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