Indian
Premier League - To See or Not to See…That’s the question.
It’s been more
than a week now that the World Cup got over, with a finale that promised us the
moon but left us high and dry. I won’t say that it was the most exciting end to
the grand tournament but certainly was played by the two teams which deserved
to be there for that momentous occasion. In the end, Australians showed that
while the rest of the cricketing world struggles to find their foot in ICC
events, for them it’s far too easy to produce champions generation after
generation. If McGrath will win for them in 2007, then Starc will do the
honours in 2015.
Having said
that, we are once again, in that period of the year when the biggest cricket
carnival arrives to keep the public engaged for a good measure of two months. In
due course, the debates between the purists of the game and the modern
administrators will spark up again, whether IPL is good or bad for the game.
Some will crib about flat tracks, shorter boundaries, commercialization of the
game, while some will rave about De Villiers dispatching Steyn to all corners
of the ground. Crowds will be there, stadiums would be full. Atmosphere -
electrifying, pressure - inevitable. Every six shall be cheered and loyalties will
stand divided.
To take a
cue from Lana Del Ray, I would like
to christen IPL as “Summertime Madness”. From the moment Brendon McCullum hit that
unforgettable knock of 158 in the opening game of first ever season of IPL, the
tone was set for the change that cricket would go through over the next decade
or so. It was a statement to the predecessors that no more the arena belonged
to the marathon runners - it shall be owned by the sprinters. Time and again we
saw the fury of the batsmen getting unleashed on the bowlers and deliveries
being clobbered around way into the stands. It has become too regular to see
that how easily mistimed shots find their way to the boundaries and how even an
asking rate of 10 in the last few overs is not a cause of concern for the teams
anymore. Or how the crowds feel it’s a waste of their time and money if they
don’t go back home without seeing a Maxwell or a Gayle or a Sehwag special. When
one sees that how inventive batsmen have become with their shot selection, it
feels that everything was already out there in the head, it just needed an occasion,
a reason, to pop out. 8 years down the line, we saw much more than glimpses of
the IPL effect in the recently concluded World Cup. Cricket for sure has come a
long way.
There are
always two sides of a coin. Few would disagree that IPL is like a welcome
opportunity for all those cricketers who have languished at the bottom of the
pyramid for far too long. For those who have been ignored by the selectors
consistently, for those who were paying a heavy price for pursuing their
passion and giving their blood and sweat for a better cause. In a country of a
billion, where more than half of them dream to represent India, only 15
fortunate souls at a time get the privilege to deliver the goods. Far too many
dreams run out of steam in an effort to make their name on a grand stage. Some
succumb after University level, some after Zonals and some find the highest
honour at the Ranji level.
This
tournament is like a lease of hope for many aspiring cricketers, young and old.
Look no further than Pravin Tambe’s story – A cricketer making his mark at the
age of 43, when most would be advising their children to take the right career
decision. Or how many times would an 18 – 19 year old budding cricketer get an
opportunity to get the brain share of the legends of the game – Cricketers whom
you have idolized, sharing dressing rooms with them, getting guided by them and
at times even outscoring them, just in a hope to get their efforts acknowledged
and become a household name, even if it’s only for few weeks. About the
monetary aspect – less said the better. Suddenly parents have started encouraging
their children to get into cricket, for if not the Indian team, one can always
aspire for an IPL contract and the rest shall take care itself. When cities
like Ranchi, Pune, Raipur start hosting matches at state-of-the-art stadiums,
one can feel proud about the penetration of the game and how the money
generated has been spent well for the betterment of the game and on the facilities
being provided to cricketers. Many complain that IPL is all about glitz, glamour
and entertainment. But there’s more to it – the fact that the Indian team has a
strong bench and promising young cricketers on the horizon, can be attributed
to the exposure and opportunity that IPL has provided over the last 7 seasons.
The flip
side, however, is the number of controversies that have marred down the ‘trust
quotient’ of IPL. Spot fixing, match fixing, scandals involving the
owners of the teams have put in a lot of doubts in the mind of an average
cricket fan in India. One doesn’t know whether he is watching a pre-decided
game or not. Whether there’s a hint to the bookies every time a player tucks in
a towel in his pyjamas. Or is there a catch involved when small time actors
find their way to the VVIP Stands to sit right next to the ‘Big Daddies’ of the
game. Worse, when cricketers are made
scapegoat for the rest to come out unscathed from the corruption issues
battling the league. It just kills a viewer from inside when he contemplates if
his idols could be involved too. That what if he finds out that the tickets he
bought was for a game whose outcome was decided way before the first ball was
bowled. That all the hours in the scorching heat, rooting for his home team,
had gone to an utter waste. Maybe a lot of them have started keeping themselves
at a distance from the league. They might have realized it’s futile to involve
emotions with cricket now. But for loads of them, for whom cricket is a source
of happiness, it’s a bitter pill to swallow if forced to disconnect from the
game. One would
also wonder whether IPL scores over playing for the country. That a bowler with
a twisted action (read Sunil Narine), who has been instrumental in his team’s
twin IPL titles, takes a break from the World Cup to work on his action and be
ready for the league. The ugly side, when a team threatens to quit from IPL if
this KEY player is not allowed.
An absolutely delightful read! I would love all updates from your blog - my personal dose of cricketing gyan.
ReplyDeleteI witnessed the opening ceremony of IPL, and if that is anything to go by, I am keeping my hopes low. Virat's team is what I am supporting, besides Delhi and Dhoni's team.
Thanks a lot Saumya for such kind words!! I tried catching up on the opening ceremony too but couldn't .. hope the season won't be such a dampner
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