Corporate governance scandals in the Indian Premier League (IPL): implications for labour

Abstract

This article investigates the corporate governance issues in the context of the rapidly growing and successful business model of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket league in India. Our analysis of the governance issues and the related recent scandals in this league reveal a number of startling conclusions and the need for serious reforms. We find that a weak institutional environment for corporate governance in India, combined with the very rapid success of the IPL business model, within a few years of its birth contribute to the munificent environment within which greed-mongering has proliferated. The number of inconsistencies and loopholes within the governance mechanisms of the IPL are identified and situated within the broader literature on corporate governance and the more specific literature within sport business. We discuss implications for labour, sport as a business and its internationalisation in the context of cricket.

Keywords:

• corporate governance
• labour
• IPL
• sports business

Notes