Kolkata: Shocked, disappointed and caught unawares! These could be your instant reactions post the player auction of the Premier Badminton League held recently. PV Sindhu, the Olympic silver medalist from India isn’t the preferred one as she is bought for only Rs 39 lakh by Chennai Smashers. Compare this to the highest buy, Spain’s Carolina Marin who beat Sindhu to win the gold at the Rio Olympics. Marin goes home with a sum worth Rs 61.5 lakh (Hyderabad Hunters).
Well, Sindhu might be wondering what it takes to impress team owners who on one hand go the whole hog celebrating her achievements, but when it comes to giving her the due she deserves, take a step backward. It happens only in India for sure. To add to Sindhu’s woes, even her hometown i.e Hyderabad overlooks her in favour of a Spaniard. Well, Marin may be the highest ranked player in the world, but a price difference of more than Rs 22 lakh separating Marin and Sindhu does raise eyebrows.
Welcome to the franchise culture where the rich team owners (read businessmen and celebrities) show little reverence towards stalwarts. Post Rio, Sindhu has been busy travelling for felicitations. Yes, she is some crores richer (courtesy the monetary rewards from various sources) and also owns a BMW. But after the auction, she must be in a state of shock. Well, she has in company her fellow Hyderabadi shuttler Saina Nehwal who is worth Rs 33 lakh (Awadhe Warriors).
For somebody who brought India a bronze in the 2012 Olympics, Nehwal seems to be staring at a life beyond badminton. She seems to be a forgotten chapter in the history of Indian sports. And don’t blame her, if she decides to call it a day soon as indications are. But in this environment, what else can she do? Are Sindhu and Nehwal not precious enough players to demand a higher price? Does anybody have an answer to it?
But badminton isn’t the only sport. Whether it’s the cash rich Indian Premier League (IPL) or the Indian Super League (ISL), some national heroes who have done the country proud are shabbily treated. Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly would second it. Ignored by his team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the Prince of Calcutta even went unsold in one of the auctions. Yuvraj Singh faced the heat, so did Rahul Dravid (from Royal Challengers Bangalore) and VVS Laxman (from Deccan Chargers). Shikhar Dhawan was unceremoniously removed from captaincy mid-way into the IPL by the management of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SH).
However, there’s another side to it. Team owners invest crores and would want a return. This is not just an India specific scenario. It’s a trend all over the world. But when one sees his sporting heroes not being given even a dekko, it hurts. Thousands of Ganguly fans were frustrated when KKR got rid of him. And stories of their ire directed at Shah Rukh Khan (KKR’s co-owner) are part of folklore.
So does this mean that these lucrative tournaments should be shown the exit door? Well, the answer is a strict no. These tournaments lure advertisers and also go a long way in promoting sports especially the ones, which get overshadowed by cricket in India. However, there’s something called a mindset. It is actually left to the team owners to deal with Indian superstars in a respectable manner. There are examples though. Dravid retired from IPL and was made the mentor of Rajasthan Royals (RR). Similarly, Virender Sehwag after hanging up his boots was part of the support staff in Kings XI Punjab. Some are lucky, some aren’t.
But the larger picture is one of disenchantment, if you are a fan. When you see Sindhu and Nehwal getting a raw deal in the auction, you are left aghast. Indians are passionate people with lots of emotions. If the deserving ones are neglected, as ardent supporters, you get infuriated. But such is the call of the day, one would suspect. But, why just blame the team owners, when a politician offers a new coach to Sindhu for the sake of a better show in the next Olympics? Perhaps that was one way of insulting Sindhu’s coach P Gopichand who single-handedly took on the challenge of grooming her when the rest of the world had shunned her.
And not to forget the fans who tend to forget past heroes. One is reminded of an exhibition cricket match held years ago that had the then superstars Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and others taking the field. A picture came out in the papers which showed former Indian batsman GR Viswanath getting totally unnoticed. Even fans’ memories are short, one guesses. Yet we get carried away by sports persons who miss a medal by a whisker unlike in countries like China and USA where a bronze medalist doesn’t create any hype. Complacency you may call it or temporary solace in a country that struggles to make a significant impact in the Olympics.
To reiterate, it happens only in India. Bharat Maata ki Jai!