Abhijit Speaks :

While flipping few channels on TV, I saw a rather strange song number featuring our great SRK, playing with a knight helmet, I thought it was one more “chopra/johar” cheapgiri. But hang on, the dresses resembled something I have seen before and the usual chics Rani/Juhi/Kajol and now Deepika were absent. So this was something different. Then I realized o yeah, this was Kolkata Knight Riders “theme” song. How could I miss the fact that we’are in the middle of the IPL summer heat. Which is “hot” could be debatable….

First of all, a premier league is a “league of premier members”, for that there should exist a basic national level league and the top things from that league “enter premier league”. Okay this is how my naive thinking works, but in India, we always have a top down approach, start with premieres (remember the Great Indira/Rajiv/Sonia/Rahul Gandhi family.) Having said that, IPL didnt turn out as pathetic as I thought it’d be.

This is not cricket in anyways, or the cricket that I love watching. Of course at the risk of being branded old folk, change averse, I’d still hold the view that real cricket is test matches, which is a real contest between bat and ball. It’s a great fun when the number 10 batsman is fighting hard to survive 10 overs. However the whole format of T20 cricket is biased towards batsmen, afterall whats more entertaining? A bowler beating a batsman five out of six occasion? Or getting slammed out of the park for 5 out of 6 occassions, majority will love the later.

Also, as it is turning out, people who’ve paid obscene amounts to the cricketers are at receivers end. What happens to few crores paid to Sachin Tendulkar, if he’s not fit for any of the match? The one who paid – is (s)he insured? (Insurance companies – are you listening.. I am suggesting you a great product and to follow up that, finance companies can also make “structured derivative products” that will distribute the risk.. Come on We live in a world of financial “creativity”.. enough!!!!) Of course few Crores for Mr. Ambani isn’t a big deal, but loss is a loss, is it turning out to be another sour “investment” after Petrol Pumps and “Retailing” never mind, I am not a shareholder, good luck to the shareholders..!! Further on this, it is turning out the real performers are not the one who’ve been “auctioned” at higher prices but somewhat second rung (as far as auctioning rates go) players. Of course, there’s going to be little motivation for someone to put in 100% if he’s paid in advance, which he’d not have dreamt of making in his life.

Coming back to the “cheerleaders” now – Ok, so what exactly are we trying to “ape” here, English Premier League or American Football.. I am a fan of neither, but cheerleaders are kind of “miss-fit” o sorry “misfit” here. Most of the cheerleaders first should take a few lessons in cheerleading. I have absolutely no problems with scantily clad chics, but I’d rather prefer them knowing and doing their job (or atleast the one that is on paper – that is cheerleading) better. They don’t appear serious, they generally perform a few Jane Fonda aerobic steps, thats not cheerleading. The form factor of the cheerleaders’ squad, doesn’t fit well with that of a cricket ground, and the background score is downright pathetic. Also, Cheerleading does involve a certain amount of “involvement” with the team. For the more curious types, they’d have understood what I trying to say..

Enough of IPL bashing

Some positives that will come out of this format is – some of the junior players will get to rub shoulders with best of the International players and they’d get to learn a lot. Also for selectors, there’d be better choices available for picking up teams, than just banking on the usual suspects.

In the long run, though I think IPL will become a big hit, this needs to be hammered on the gullible minds of masses long enough before they become fanatic about it.. Remember English Premier League? It’s been around for a few years now, its only now that its picking up some real fan-following. That will happen eventually to IPL as well. So the investors will need to have a long term view (anyone writing a call option on IPL? I am here…) But it will take time, and this will change cricket in a big way than we can think of now. In hindsight, is IPL the reason why a lot of “international players” are “retiring” from cricket?

Anyways, the best description of present format of IPL क्रिकेट का कॅब्रे and not कर्मयुद्ध. This is still better than watching that “saans-bahu” junk, so for the entertainment part, IPL deserves a cheer or two (without the cheerleaders)

Just a last comment before wrapping up, does it make sense to play matches in Flood Lights _everyday_ when most of the states are experiencing acute shortage of “electricity”, but who cares?