It seems like a perfect way to snub Pakistan. Call them to the party and just when they are at the door, all dressed up and feeling  good, keep them out.  

The IPL auction did just that. And know what, it has hurt Paklstan’s pride in a way Chidambaram’s outbursts or S.M. Krishna’s taunts have not done.  It makes me wonder why nobody came up with the idea before.

Or, did somebody actually do? That is what Pakistan suspects and that makes it even more furious. Besides street protests, Pakistan’s political leaders have reacted with what might be called righteous rage.

But it is not the Indian government but IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi who is at the center of it all. He is a smart man. Some would say too smart, but there is no denying what Modi has achieved for the sport – given it a much-needed dose of steroids. He has minted billions for the game and its cricketers with a whole new franchise. Modi’s creation is a case study at several business  schools, not to mention the subject of considerable envy. It is hard to imagine that such a smart man did not anticipate the possibility that no team would bid for the Pakistani cricketers, given the geopolitical situation even a year after the 26/11 attacks.

Modi has denied any collusion on the part of teams in keeping the Pakistanis out.  But the teams didn’t need one. Owners of the teams are all hard-nosed businessmen who would hardly take unnecessary risks, especially of the political kind.  There was genuine concern that Pakistani cricketers could be denied visas, and nobody was foolish enough to test it. At least, not without the Indian government saying anything tangible. Also, it is not as if the teams were pressed for choices. Many high-quality cricketers were on offer from other countries. 

Nevertheless, there is one thing Modi can’t deny: Pakistan is the only major cricketing nation that will go unrepresented in cricket’s richest tournament, and this outcome is not the result of cricketing reasons. And one thing he alone can answer: why were Pakistan’s cricketers invited to offer themselves for auction?

As a final thought, our political leaders may do well to consider how to use our cricketing muscle to get even with Pakistan, maybe even to get Hafiz Saeed extradited.