Maverick Commissioner stays away from painting one image but offers reader different portraits 

There are times when we identify an athlete with a trademark action, if not an idiosyncrasy, or an image that is embedded in our minds. In doing do, we are perhaps unfairly placing them in pigeonholes when in fact we need to look at them more holistically. Come to think of it, this is true of nearly everyone, isn’t it?

Board of Control for Cricket in India Vice-President and Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi succeeded in creating a larger-than-life image of himself. It was easy to be taken in by that halo and, conversely, it was also not difficult to step back and form an alternate view, one that was not influenced by mass opinion.

Not wanting to be seen as taking sides is one thing, but it is never an easy task to accomplish it without being referred to as a cat on the wall. In Maverick Commissioner: The IPL-Lalit Modi Saga, Boria Majumdar attempts walking the tightrope and has stuck true to that premise, sharing a lot of what he knows but staying clear of offering a judgement. 

Admittedly, having following the drama as a sports journalist – even if only as an outlier and without being privy to sources and inside information – one is aware of a vast majority of what unfolds in the book. But viewed from a reader’s perspective, the book stokes interest and will lead the reader to form an opinion of his or her own.

I guess Pullela Gopichand was articulating just that at the book launch. “I think it’s wonderful to have the start of IPL documented through the book. And I do believe that for many people who are trying to understand the sport and the marketing of sports, this will give great insights into the entire life and the work of the IPL,” he has been quoted as saying.

I found Maverick Commissioner quite different from some of Boria Majumdar’s earlier books. The notations,  relentless and methodical, are conspicuous by their absence as he engages the reader with a more conversational rather than an academic approach. It makes for easy reading, even though the subject itself is anything but easy to understand.

As is natural, Maverick Commissioned differs from Alam Srinivas’ Cricket Czars since that book, written in 2014, focussed on N Srinivasan and Lalit Modi, two men who, the blurb on the cover said, changed the gentleman’s game.  Boria Majumdar may have left some gaps in the narrative but manages to engage the reader.

We had heard of Madhavrao Scindia being involved in planning an inter-city cricket competition in Gwalior. We also know that Sundar Raman was roped in by Lalit Modi from media planning agency, Mindshare, to be IPL’s Chief Operations Office and emerged as a powerful entity. And we know that the England and Wales High Court ordered Lalit Modi to pay New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns a hefty amount in damages and costs. For some reason, none of these men finds space in the book.

It is not as if Boria Majumdar has fixed his attention only on Lalit Modi. There are interesting digressions, like the BCCI elections of 2004 and 2005, featuring powerful men like Jagmohan Dalmiya and Sharad Pawar. It gives an insight into the politics and the behind-the-scene moves that go into the making of a BCCI election.

It does not need a Lalit Modi to remind us that he was the major force behind the conception of the Indian Premier League. But he does show up every now and then to shine a light on his role in its formation. In doing that, he has ensured that he remains in the collective consciousness of all those who track IPL and its journey as a massively successful product.

Yes, there have been times when some positive images of the man have been compelling. And, there are times when the darker shades seem more powerful. As a book, Maverick Commissioner portrays the dichotomy. Perhaps, it is best to observe the gallery of portraits, the layers of character, rather than look for one defining image of Lalit Modi. 

Maverick Commissioner: The IPL-Lalit Modi Saga, Boria Majumdar, Simon & Schuster India, 2022, 240pp, Rs 559.