Cricket world never remained the same again after the IPL came into being. And it came into being even before a single ball was bowled in the competition. The craze and drama associated with it have been stupefying to say the least, and it shows no signs of abating, at least for the time being.
When IPL was announced by the BCCI officials on a very another day, it appeared to me as a blunt rejoinder to the ICL. Even the name, and hence the acronym chosen was remarkably similar to that of the rebel organization. But since then, it has been snowballing into something leviathan, bringing into its fold cinema, market, advertisement and most importantly, people too. It actually got on me only when the franchises were sold out for exalted amounts of money to even more illustrious personalities of business and Bollywood.
Since then I have been viewing IPL in a completely different light. Ironically and sadly, the view has got very less to do with cricket, for here the game has been thrown onto the backburner. It has got more to do with the showcase of India as a potential entrepot for money. Even though cricket is only seriously played by a dozen counties, it remains one of the dozen or so team games which have got such fan following. It is no match to soccer, or American football or baseball, but stll it remains credible enough with both money and coverage. And now with IPL coming on to the scene, it is going to make India the cynosure of the game even more. India will stand out as the country holding the biggest spectacle ever of the game. On this count only, Indian pomp and popularity should reach even the cricket-less countries. This will help other areas of Indian economy and society too. Name, fame and might draw everyone. It is too early to pass the verdict that it will generate the ripple effect, but it definitely provides a grand opportunity of global scale for other areas to be connected with and cash on it.
Reverting to its impact on the game, I think it will make the game poorer in quality, but wider in its reach. Slam-bang cricket is never going to test the skill levels as are required in Test Matches or even in the one-dayers. That remains the conjecture of most of the cricket pundits, but nobody including yours truly would mind been proven wrong in the long run. T20 cricket, in its wake, brings a lot of unprecedented excitement with it. Its short match-span provides just the time a common man can afford to recreate himself after a hard day's work, amidst an aura of frenzy spiced up by glamour of dancing girls or likewise.
For me, it also presents a long-dreamed lining up of quality players of different nationalities in a team against a similar group on the other side. It was tried in the ICC World XI versus Australia Test and one-day matches, but it virtually turned into a no-show with Australia dominating as ever before. IPL provides another opportunity with more purpose and time given to the players. Also people are talking about nationalistic feelings coming up for Indian players when they will be pitted against those from the rival countries. It will definitely be the case, and that's why it makes it even more interesting. Right now the whole story-to-be-unfolded borders on the unknown, and that is exactly the X-factor that might drive it into becoming a big big thing.
When IPL was announced by the BCCI officials on a very another day, it appeared to me as a blunt rejoinder to the ICL. Even the name, and hence the acronym chosen was remarkably similar to that of the rebel organization. But since then, it has been snowballing into something leviathan, bringing into its fold cinema, market, advertisement and most importantly, people too. It actually got on me only when the franchises were sold out for exalted amounts of money to even more illustrious personalities of business and Bollywood.
Since then I have been viewing IPL in a completely different light. Ironically and sadly, the view has got very less to do with cricket, for here the game has been thrown onto the backburner. It has got more to do with the showcase of India as a potential entrepot for money. Even though cricket is only seriously played by a dozen counties, it remains one of the dozen or so team games which have got such fan following. It is no match to soccer, or American football or baseball, but stll it remains credible enough with both money and coverage. And now with IPL coming on to the scene, it is going to make India the cynosure of the game even more. India will stand out as the country holding the biggest spectacle ever of the game. On this count only, Indian pomp and popularity should reach even the cricket-less countries. This will help other areas of Indian economy and society too. Name, fame and might draw everyone. It is too early to pass the verdict that it will generate the ripple effect, but it definitely provides a grand opportunity of global scale for other areas to be connected with and cash on it.
Reverting to its impact on the game, I think it will make the game poorer in quality, but wider in its reach. Slam-bang cricket is never going to test the skill levels as are required in Test Matches or even in the one-dayers. That remains the conjecture of most of the cricket pundits, but nobody including yours truly would mind been proven wrong in the long run. T20 cricket, in its wake, brings a lot of unprecedented excitement with it. Its short match-span provides just the time a common man can afford to recreate himself after a hard day's work, amidst an aura of frenzy spiced up by glamour of dancing girls or likewise.
For me, it also presents a long-dreamed lining up of quality players of different nationalities in a team against a similar group on the other side. It was tried in the ICC World XI versus Australia Test and one-day matches, but it virtually turned into a no-show with Australia dominating as ever before. IPL provides another opportunity with more purpose and time given to the players. Also people are talking about nationalistic feelings coming up for Indian players when they will be pitted against those from the rival countries. It will definitely be the case, and that's why it makes it even more interesting. Right now the whole story-to-be-unfolded borders on the unknown, and that is exactly the X-factor that might drive it into becoming a big big thing.
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