Indian Premier League - And so, the show will go on
Bengaluru,
The captains of the eight teams in IPL 9 during the opening ceremony
'Don't be so jealous of the IPL,' MS Dhoni famously quipped at an English journalist during India's tour of the British Isles in 2014. It was a peculiar bon mot even by the Dhoni-standard of oddball press conference quotes.
Some of those assembled at the press conference went on to call it a puerile defense to a question on the team's dwindling fortunes in Test cricket. That was India's most successful captain stepping in to shield a product he had inadvertently pushed into inception by winning the inaugural World T20. This was Dhoni, a pro-establishment two-time IPL-winning captain, offering a staunch defence against a perceived point of view.
Yet, jealousy is just one of many emotions the Indian Premier League has evoked ever since Lalit Modi and BCCI revealed a hastily but smartly-packaged T20 product to the cricketing world in 2008. The tournament, with its in-your-face 'cricketainment', has piqued curiosity and caused aversion in equal measure. It's seen an amalgam of hope and fear, of relief and rage and pride and remorse.
One season followed another as the tournament, unaware of its own burgeoning potential, wasted no time to stop, pause and reflect on the trail it was leaving behind. This was until the very hurdles it was powering through, snowballed into a lawsuit of such magnitude, that even the mandarins of the richest cricket board couldn't sidestep.
The IPL, now in the ninth season, is a confused teenager with an existential crisis, an adolescent suddenly seeking purpose from life, one who needs to be nurtured and looked after, besides a never-ending barrage of counselling sessions.
At some levels, the forthcoming season presents an opportunity for the tournament to start afresh, to reinvent itself after the debilitating effects of the Lodha Panel verdict that left it without its two finalists from the first season - Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals - two immensely popular franchises and two massive fan bases.
That BCCI managed to find stop-gap replacements in the Pune and Gujarat franchises, without owing them any remuneration from its central revenue pool during a turbulent time like this, is testament to the league's patronage and commercial potential. The sponsors' merry-go-round has kept BCCI's coffers healthy. However, the tournament's true money-spinning potential for the investing private sector in the next phase will unravel itself only now, when the existing 10-year-contracts come up for renewal in just over an year's time. Which makes the success of the season all the more imperative.
In the backdrop of the times that would rank amonst the darkest in BCCI's tumultuous history, the IPL offers solace. The 'carnival' continues to keep its promise of attracting and unearthing talents. Cricketers themselves aren't averse to an IPL gig, despite it being placed bang in the centre of a packed international calendar. Elite cricketers like AB de Villiers have gone as far as saying they consider giving up a format in international cricket when giving up IPL would appear the norm. With T20 poised to be at the forefront of cricket's evolution, IPL offers experience, an opportunity to exchange ideas and most importantly, remuneration cheques with substantially more digits.
Some of those assembled at the press conference went on to call it a puerile defense to a question on the team's dwindling fortunes in Test cricket. That was India's most successful captain stepping in to shield a product he had inadvertently pushed into inception by winning the inaugural World T20. This was Dhoni, a pro-establishment two-time IPL-winning captain, offering a staunch defence against a perceived point of view.
Yet, jealousy is just one of many emotions the Indian Premier League has evoked ever since Lalit Modi and BCCI revealed a hastily but smartly-packaged T20 product to the cricketing world in 2008. The tournament, with its in-your-face 'cricketainment', has piqued curiosity and caused aversion in equal measure. It's seen an amalgam of hope and fear, of relief and rage and pride and remorse.
One season followed another as the tournament, unaware of its own burgeoning potential, wasted no time to stop, pause and reflect on the trail it was leaving behind. This was until the very hurdles it was powering through, snowballed into a lawsuit of such magnitude, that even the mandarins of the richest cricket board couldn't sidestep.
The IPL, now in the ninth season, is a confused teenager with an existential crisis, an adolescent suddenly seeking purpose from life, one who needs to be nurtured and looked after, besides a never-ending barrage of counselling sessions.
At some levels, the forthcoming season presents an opportunity for the tournament to start afresh, to reinvent itself after the debilitating effects of the Lodha Panel verdict that left it without its two finalists from the first season - Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals - two immensely popular franchises and two massive fan bases.
That BCCI managed to find stop-gap replacements in the Pune and Gujarat franchises, without owing them any remuneration from its central revenue pool during a turbulent time like this, is testament to the league's patronage and commercial potential. The sponsors' merry-go-round has kept BCCI's coffers healthy. However, the tournament's true money-spinning potential for the investing private sector in the next phase will unravel itself only now, when the existing 10-year-contracts come up for renewal in just over an year's time. Which makes the success of the season all the more imperative.
In the backdrop of the times that would rank amonst the darkest in BCCI's tumultuous history, the IPL offers solace. The 'carnival' continues to keep its promise of attracting and unearthing talents. Cricketers themselves aren't averse to an IPL gig, despite it being placed bang in the centre of a packed international calendar. Elite cricketers like AB de Villiers have gone as far as saying they consider giving up a format in international cricket when giving up IPL would appear the norm. With T20 poised to be at the forefront of cricket's evolution, IPL offers experience, an opportunity to exchange ideas and most importantly, remuneration cheques with substantially more digits.
Glitz, glamour and entertainment have become as much a part of IPL as the cricket.
With a fan-first theme lined up for the 2016 season, there is a clear mandate on IPL's organisers that cricket alone cannot drive the 'cricket crazy' Indian spectators to the stadiums. Particularly when another edition of the tournament begins within a week of an ICC event, and spectator burnout becomes a very real possibility.
And so, the IPL will have, for the first time, fans playing mock third umpire, LED-lighted stumps, and a team with a 'home and away' jersey (Royal Challengers Bangalore). Beyond the metropolitan cities hosting games, specifically created 'fan parks' will seek to provide stadium-like atmosphere while each franchise itself will endeavor to walk the extra mile to bridge the spectator-player gap and create a distinct fan experience at their respective venues.
Outside the razzmatazz in the build up to the season, there is the cricket, which in itself offers plenty of promise. The Gujarat-Pune game in the opening week will see several former teammates square off in an IPL game for the first time to create an interesting match-up. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir have an opportunity to lead their established sides - Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders - to an unprecedented third title.
Then there are the perennial powerhouses of the league, Royal Challengers Bangalore with a star-studded top-four - Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers - that is the envy of every T20 side, in pursuit of their maiden title. There is also the prospect of watching how Sunrisers Hyderabad accommodate both Mustafizur Rahman and Trent Boult in a line-up alongside Ashish Nehra. Can Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab punch above their weight?
On Saturday (April 9), the spotlight will once again turn to the field. The courts are adjourned... for now. The hearings will take their due course. Right now, nothing else will please the connoisseurs of the game more than if the quality of cricket supersedes all the other emanating noise.
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