The rest could have been history. But the BCCI chose to be petty-minded. Instead of seeing itself for what it is, an umbrella body that promotes cricket and is capable of harnessing the game across the board, it saw the potential for turf war — going so far as launching a witch-hunt against Kapil Dev. It failed to spot the opportunity to bring in the capital-rich ICL as a participant in its own league. That way the BCCI could have expanded its empire, and also averted the biggest sin of all: denying others the right to live by their skills.