NEW DELHI, March 28 Sports Minister M.S. Gill has accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of having a conflict of interest as national administrators of the sport and backers of the lucrative Indian Premier League, which he says is damaging the game.

In an extraordinary criticism, Gill told English-language TV news channel CNN-IBN that cricket had become “an instrument of business,” and changes introduced to make the IPL's Twenty20 format more popular for TV audiences were bad for the game, the Press Trust of India reported on Sunday.

The IPL has increased from eight to 10 teams this season and attracts many of the leading players from around the world, who earn high salaries based on what the teams are prepared to pay for them at auction. It has also sparked interest around the world in Twenty20 cricket, which can be over in three hours and features often risky shotmaking by batsmen.

But Gill said IPL stakeholders should not be allowed to hold top positions in the BCCI.

“Those who control the game, that is BCCI, they have a direct interest as owners of teams, as people who have a direct benefit from it and this is something very dangerous,” Gill was quoted as saying. “Major office bearers are on both sides.“Those who are to make rules for everyone, for all aspects of the game and keeping in view the interest of the game and the country and the long term, have to be totally apart from being involved in IPL in any way.”

Gill said as well as impacting on the longer, more traditional cricket formats, the money offered in the IPL was threatening player loyalty to their countries. Some older players already have retired from international cricket to play in the IPL.

“The five-day Test is under challenge and you see nobody turns up for it, crowds have already been moved away. Even the 50-over is reduced to T20 and I sometimes say jokingly that we'll go to T5 and then T1 and then half an over,” Gill reportedly told the TV network. “People will not be that keen to play for the national team, as they will be for a commercial team. Certainly, Test cricket and India's position in it will be affected.”

Gill said the cricket season had been altered to accommodate the IPL, the playing field had been reduced in size - making it easier for batsmen to hit boundaries - controversial new bats had been permitted and the bowler was “the victim” in the game.

The IPL's “focus is earning money. Now two new teams have been bought and one of the gentlemen who has bought ... said 'look this is business, we bought it for business and our job is to earn from it.”—AP