The Indian Premier League (IPL) seems to have an element of Alice in Wonderland to it. When it comes to a big name or two, there seems to be the constant refrain, ‘Will he, won’t he, join the dance?

Ricky Ponting has turned his back on the tourney, though the reasons for his decision are shrouded in mystery. There are doubts about Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen participating. Michael Clarke is another non-starter, though the 27-year-old Australian vice-captain has to find the right dates in the calendar to be able to wed his fiancé, Miss Binghley.

Probably the single factor that has thrown the tourney out of gear is speculation regarding the future of Lalit Modi, described as the ‘desi’ Kerry Packer. He seems to be under fire from his home cricket association, Rajasthan, and his financial credibility is being questioned in some quarters. After the revelations by Satyam’s Raju, the enforcement agencies are acting as if when there is a little smoke it is really a potential conflagration.

The grapevine has it that Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene has relinquished the captaincy because he does not want anyone or anything to come in the way of his playing in the IPL. It is a feeling shared by his deputy, Kumara Sangakkara, who has hinted that he might not want the captaincy because of the IPL.

The Pakistan players are out of the IPL, which means the highest wicket-taker of the inaugural tourney, Sohail Tanvir, is not to be seen for Jaipur.

It seems the rival Indian Cricket League (ICL) is applying pressure on the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Indian cricket board to gain belated recognition. This would, of course, be good for the players and the game. But where would it leave Lalit Modi?