IPL is a cruel game: P T Usha

Former running great feels Olympic medals, not Kochi IPL fiasco should be sporting focus; calls cricket's latest controversy a national shame

A love interest angle, pots of cash and a healthy dose of controversy -- the Kochi Indian Premier League team continues to raise dust clouds of debate. Even as Shashi Tharoor insists an IPL cricket team from Kerala will help boost the sport in God's Own Country, Kerala's most famous athlete, Pilluvalukandi Thekkeparambil Usha, (P T Usha) who earned the moniker The Payyoli Express (she was born in the village of Payyoli) for her international running exploits, slams the cash-rich league.

On the Kochi conundrum
I like football more but I follow cricket too. Yet the IPL does not interest me. IPL is a business, not a sport. It is pure business, and that too an ugly one. It does not evoke nationalistic feelings in the players, since they are working for their owners, not for their country.

On what's going on in the players' minds
The great Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and so many others ufffd how pathetic they must feel inside. I believe they will regret this after a few years. We shouldn't be wasting our time writing, watching our talking about the IPL. There are several more grave concerns one needs to focus on like winning more medals at the Olympics.

On the government and BBCI angle
The Kochi team is shrouded in controversy because of a profit motive. It's a fracas that has found resonance in the Parliament, a shame on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and on our motherland. We should ban this cruel game immediately.

IPL and the Kerala connection
An IPL team and all the accompanying hype and hoopla will not tilt the balance in Kerala in IPL's favour, because our traditional sports will not take a beating thanks to the introduction of this new business. Kerala's strength is woman power. IPL is not going to influence women in Kerala.

On the Usha School of Athletics
It's where I train young athletes. The school has recently received Rs 20 lakh worth of gym equipment from the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), an initiative that works towards producing Indian Olympic gold medallists. Wait and watch. Time will prove everything. Our country needs more medals at the Olympics. My full concentration is on how to achieve that first ever Olympic medal for India in athletics.