It had been very long since we had discussed about it. We began ignoring it, in the wake of Narendra and Mahendra. So much, that it’s been months that it’s not featured over our chais and charchas. But then, something with so much potential can’t be suppressed for too long, can it?
Yes, it’s been way too long that nothing on the IPL front has happened, and these hands have been itching to do a story on it. Finally, the limelight did manage to fall over it, with Ian Botham claiming that it’s ‘too powerful for the long-term good of the game.’ While some part of it does make sense, but dismissing the entire tourney as a waste doesn’t seem right. In his speech at the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, Botham went on to the extent of saying that the IPL shouldn’t even exist. And just when we were thinking why has there been no response to this, Geoffrey Boycott shared some his of his pearls of wisdom. While crediting the IPL for the Indian batsmen doing so well in the limited overs format, he said, “it teaches them to be fearless while hitting the ball in the air.â€
While both perspectives seem to be a perfect fit in their own slots, let me just explain why it’s important to understand both the sides before we finally pass a verdict.
The greener side
With the advent of the more commercialised avtaar of cricket, the spirit of competitiveness surged and how! Also, with so many slot to be filled, many youngsters, who thought they would have to wait an eternity for the Rahul Dravids and the Sachin Tendulkars to call it day, suddenly found themselves being fought over for in high profile bidding ceremonies. India, being the cricket crazy nation that it is, finally found a dose of its cricketing needs that satiated its cravings. This came as a perfect opportunity for the talented youngsters looking for just that one chance and the fans, who were looking for another excuse to celebrate cricket.
Other than that, the kind of money that these young guns managed to attract put them in a great situation, motivating them to do so much better. The emergence of new stars has also given the selectors ample options to pick and choose a great team from. This has also put the senior cricketers on high alert, as now they can’t take a chance with taking their spots for granted. It’s very clearly become a survival of the fittest.
And like Boycott very rightly pointed out, the IPL has dished out a completely aggressive brand of cricketing altogether. The kind of risks that the cricketers, especially the batsmen have begun to take is also reflecting on the limited overs affair, also pushing the bowlers to give it their best, leaving very little margin for error.
Other than that, non-cricketing entities too made their share of moolah. From jerseys to merchandise, from cafes to mobile apps, there were so many organisations and businesses that made the most of this incredible IPL!
Or maybe, not that green either
All good things on one side, it isn’t really like a sage or something that it’ll be all perfect, isn’t it? Yes, it did all these great things, but who can forget all the roguish activities that it has pushed players into. Slapgate, spot fixing, rave parties, money laundering, betting — you name it and the IPL tops the list. Corruption and commercialisation put together, it also emerged as one of the biggest vices the cricketing fraternity has seen so far.
Tempers running wild, players in the same national side fighting like cats and dogs, team owners leaking vital information to make a quick buck, players and officials indulging in strictly prohibited activities. The youngest one of the cricketing family also emerged as the spoilt brat. In fact, people picking their IPL teams over national duties has also raised many eyebrows. Opening an extra window in the schedules also means giving very less time to allow the players bodies to recuperate. Problems aplenty!
But hello, at least there IS some grass!
Green, or not so green, we much appreciate that there at least is some value that the IPL has generated. If we weigh the positives against the negatives, there still remains conclusive evidence that there are some things about IPL, the good ones, that stand out. Yes, there are negatives as well, but the solution is not bringing down the curtains, rather, having brainstorming sessions to identify the problem and rectify it. The IPL, just like a human being, has flairs and flaws, but just like we don’t shoot down a person because of his/her flaws, we can’t scrap the IPL either.