It's a subject that was raised last year by Team India's coach Gary Kirsten, to no avail. It's a question that was repeatedly put to skipper MS Dhoni before the T20 World Cup began, and he answered dismissively each time.

But as he analysed yet another T20 debacle, Dhoni finally reverted to his usual candour, admitting that the Indian Premier League (IPL) had taken a toll on the team. It immediately triggered a raging debate that left BCCI bosses seething.

"The IPL is not just about cricket," Dhoni said, towards the end of his press conference in St Lucia. "There are lots of things going around it," he added, as a sudden hush descended on the hall.

"The players have to respect the body, give it time to recover. There have been day-night matches, then parties, and early morning flights too. All this, including the travel, takes a toll. But if you are smart, I don't think 45 days of cricket will drain you," he said.

Dhoni said a lot more, but this was the part that raised a storm in India. Murmurs began doing the rounds about how a vindictive BCCI might be thinking of a change of guard - that is, axe Dhoni when he is down following Team India's debacle and his own tactical blunders.

Many wondered why Dhoni chose to make the point now, rather than earlier. Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin lashed out at him, saying, "Excuses like these cannot be given after you lose. Obviously, if you stay up the whole night, it would affect you. Players should be responsible enough. The game is more important than the parties. For a player, cricket should come first and everything else is secondary."

Former chief selector Syed Kirmani said, "There was complete lack of application and concentration from Indian players and they cannot complain of fatigue after crashing out." Former India coach Madan Lal too criticised Dhoni. "Who was forcing them (players) to attend these IPL parties? They could have said ‘no'. I don't think they should say all this. These are silly excuses. The fact is they had gone there to win the World Cup and they just weren't good enough."

Actually, the point about players being "free to say no" to the parties isn't quite accurate. BCCI officials insisted that there was no stipulation in the players' contracts that it was compulsory for them to attend the parties. But players told TOI, on condition of anonymity, that they felt under pressure from the team owners as well as IPL bosses to attend the after-match parties, for which the league had struck a commercial deal with a television channel. Besides, the team owners too found it a perfect opportunity to wine and dine their friends in the company of cricketers.

Of course, it wasn't exactly a hardship for the players - in fact, the abundant beauties and booze present made them an irresistible draw for many. But some who didn't like the distraction didn't dare voice their objection. Only very senior legends like Sachin Tendulkar felt confident enough to stay away.

The BCCI, though, chose to be blase as ever. Spokesman Rajiv Shukla said the team had failed to perform as per expectations, but also refused to blame player fatigue. "The international calendar is always very hectic. There are back-to-back matches, back-to-back tournaments. Now also two-three tournaments are lined up. So, we really cannot say that (fatigue) is the main reason," he said.

"Apart from that, we have enlarged our players' bank. So when any player feels fatigue, BCCI has already told them to take leave and take the selectors into confidence. Then there will be the replacements. I don't think that's a vital reason," he said, choosing to overlook the fact that a player may not dare to risk his spot in the national team by incurring the wrath of the board and selectors.

Shukla said the board was waiting for the team management's report "before we can take some corrective actions to make sure that we perform well in the future". When asked about Dhoni's observations about IPL party nights, he said: "It is a good point. The BCCI president (Shashank Manohar) has also said that from next season all such parties will be stopped. Players will have to learn how to take care of their body."

Of course, that decision may not be inspired so much by concern for the players as the fact that the after-match parties are a remnant of Lalit Modi's reign at IPL. But for now, perhaps cricket fans can only be grateful that - as Dhoni pointed out - the 50-overs World Cup will take place before and not after the IPL next year.

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