It is no secret that the IPL has long aroused the ire of those who see the tournament as “paiso ka khel aur khelo ka paisa” (a game of money), as a participant described it in a TV show. There is little doubt that the anger and distaste of the conservatives for IPL have been accentuated by the “item numbers” of the scantily-clad cheer leaders whenever a four or a six is hit or a wicket falls.

Their “dances” are seen as tell-tale manifestations of the hedonistic decadence of the IPL. It may not be too far-fetched to suggest that the relentless campaign against the dance bars of Mumbai by successive state governments reflects this hidebound outlook.

Those who complain against the IPL are perhaps slightly discomfited by the fact that the entertainment provided by the slam-bang variety of cricket – unquestionably one of the most popular sports in the country – is supported by millions in the stadiums and by countless television viewers. Had it been tennis, not to mention golf, which are played by the rich, the accusers would have felt easier in their minds. But cricket is different since it is very much everyone’s game as it can be played in the dusty lanes and by-lanes or on a patch of bare ground with bricks as stumps.

Even then, the razzmatazz of IPL continues to be a sore point with the moralists with Lalit Modi’s antics bolstering their case against the tournament. Now, drought has made it easier for them to launch an offensive.

By siding with them, however, the high court has taken the easy way out by ignoring the nuances. For a start, will not Mumbai’s claims about emulating Shanghai suffer if it is seen to be incapable of holding the matches along with other metropolises ? As is known, Pakistan’s reputation has not been enhanced by its inability to stage any international competitions because of the threat of terrorism.

And here we have a famous city which aspires to be an international financial centre unable to host the games in which scores of players from India and outside participate because the state cannot provide a basic amenity like water to the citizens,

Is it possible that if the state government had not been too preoccupied with banning beef and dance bars and forcing people to say, Bharat Mata ki Jai, it would have been in a better position to tackle the problems posed by two successive years of below-average rainfall ?

Maharashtra is no stranger to water shortage. It used to be normal in a far less crowded Mumbai half a century ago for even well-off residents to set their alarm clocks very early in the morning in order to get up and fill their buckets with the municipal water supply.

Little has changed since then. Nor is it likely in the near future whether or not the IPL matches are played. The reason is that successive governments have lacked the will or the expertise to find a solution, probably because the generally bountiful monsoons come to their rescue in the end. But, if the rains fail, as in Do Bigha Zameen, the peasants who have become city dwellers have no clue as to what to do except scour the skies in search of dark clouds.

Yet, Mumbai has blossomed with its five- and seven-star hotels with their swimming pools and is the home of the haves and have-mores with their skyscrapers rising to a gargantuan 27 storeys in one case. Do these votaries of Mammon need more, or less, water than the 10,000 litres which were sprayed on a temporary helipad for a minister on an inspection tour of a drought-hit area ?

It is possible that even if this year’s monsoon is a good one, the IPL patrons will be wary of staging too many matches in Mumbai in future although it is supposed to be the home of Indian cricket and the headquarters of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Such a decision to favour other cities at Mumbai’s expense will be as hurtful to Mumbai’s pride as when the BCCI was shifted overnight to Calcutta, as it was known then, for a brief period after the Shiv Sena dug up the cricket pitch at the Wankhede stadium in protest against a visit by Pakistan.

IPL is a golden goose which mints money for players, commentators, advertisers, TV and radio stations and hundreds of people belonging to the ancillary services. At one time, scores of well-known players from all over the world played for the English counties. Now, they come to India to make it one of the hotspots of world cricket. Strangling the IPL will not bring glory to India. (IPA Service)