Since they were and are now helping newspapers make major portion of their profits, they also expected that they wouldn't be shown in a negative light. They wouldn't want the sport which they sponsored to get a a bad name because of financial transgressions and allegations of nepotism. If IPL gets a bad name, then even its sponsors get a bad name.

So these marketing pressures make you realize that you don't have the freedom to write, as you had in earlier times. Even the newspaper owners have their own business/political interests that further curtails your freedom and forces many reporters to compromise with professional ethics. A "fact' becomes a tool to negotiate and truth its major casualty.

The Indian cricket Board was never immune from business and political influence. In 1990 when elections for it's office bearers were held, The Indian Prime Minister intervened to influence it's voting

The board had three votes which are decided by the government:, Services, Universities and the Railways. Madhavrao Scindia, who was the Railway minister during the congress regime, was a presidential candidate. He was confident of getting all the three votes. However, at the last moment George Fernandez, the Railway Minister of the country, under the ruling party of VP Singh's government issued directions to not vote for Scindia. Since Madhavrao Scindia knew VP Singh he manged to convince the then Indian PM to influence Fernandez to change his mind and vote for him and not against him. This is how the board's election took place, with Scindia becoming the Board president by a margin of just one vote.

(As told to Sanya Tyagi)

To be continued..

To get books:

(Not Quite Cricket: The Xplosive Story of How Bookmakers Influence the Game Today https://amzn.eu/d/dA4ddKV)

(NOT JUST CRICKET: A Reporter's Journey through Modern India https://amzn.eu/d/3yp6NXc)