It will cost the BCCI and the IPL nothing and will earn it tremendous goodwill. The point has been made, the battle is virtually won. And it is very unlikely that another such venture will be launched very soon. In any case the hazards are far too obvious now. This is a great opportunity to make a one-time offer; not to encourage breaking of contracts or to treat them like a scrap of paper to be autographed on, but to tell them that the window will be open but once. Maybe there can be another formula, maybe it can be available to those who signed up at the beginning; there is always a formula when the mind is willing as we will see when political alignments soon start happening!

A Vignesh, a Rayudu, a Binny must be allowed to have ambition; who knows, they might turn out to be great servants of Indian cricket. But even that is irrelevant; the opportunity for atonement, for a second chance is paramount. It is the sign of a caring society.

(Commentator Harsha Bhogle is an adviser with the Mumbai Indians)