From the publishers of THE HINDU VOL.31 :: NO.52 :: Dec. 27, 2008 • Contents
	YEAR-END SPECIAL / CRICKET/INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE A blockbuster indeed The IPL, besides showcasing the wares of legends like Shane Warne, who excelled as skipper and player for Rajasthan Royals, also helped Shaun Marsh, Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan and Sohail Tanvir, to name a few, find resonance and respect. It also helped players like Palani Amarnath, Manpreet Gony and Swapnil Asnodkar find the spotlight, something that remained elusive for the hardworking domestic cricketer, write K.C. Vijaya Kumar. K. Pichumani Shane Warne, the Rajasthan Royals captain, with the IPL Trophy. The DLF Indian Premier League had all the makings of a summer blockbuster right from the moment the player auctions in Mumbai forced cricket journalists to learn financial jargons. Spread across April and May the League concluded with the summit clash on June 1 that crowned Rajasthan Royals as the champion. On April 18 as Bangalore geared up for a summer evening, the IPL chairman Lalit Modi watched his dream unfold amidst laser beams. The tournament with a total prize money of Rs. 20 crores was up and running and as a fan quipped, “we had our daily fix on television every summer evening” with 59 matches in 44 days. The IPL had its share of positives. The prime one was reinforcing spectator interest in the summer months, often considered dry for cricket economics. Twenty20 is here to stay both in terms of luring new converts usually glued to European football as well as helping the ICC spread the game to newer territories where any sport beyond two hours was perceived as a wasted exercise! The success of IPL reinforced the ‘short is sweet’ refrain of T20 besides the visibility and monetary spin-off for both players as well as interested corporates. It was always believed that One Day Internationals actually added to the quality of Test cricket in terms of enhancing gusto to player skill-sets. Now with the ICC T20 World Cup to be played once in two years and the IPL tentatively holding on to an annual summer slot in India, a huge pool of players will be exposed to the frenetic nature of this version of the game and it will naturally enhance their talent. The change is visible especially in ODIs where huge totals fail to give the jitters to the chasing batsmen. The IPL had its touch of unpredictability too — and this is critical for any sporting event — as Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings clashed in a tense final before Shane Warne had the last laugh, while fancied teams like Deccan Chargers fell by the wayside. The IPL, besides showcasing the wares of legends like Shane Warne, who excelled as skipper and player for Rajasthan Royals, also helped Shaun Marsh, Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan and Sohail Tanvir, to name a few, find resonance and respect. It also helped players like Palani Amarnath, Manpreet Gony and Swapnil Asnodkar find the spotlight, something that remained elusive for the hardworking domestic cricketer. Cricket is also about nostalgia and secret desires and the sight of Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya opening for Mumbai Indians or Glenn McGrath’s miserly spells for Delhi Daredevils, is something that every fan would cherish for many years. The Australian players went on record saying that the IPL helped improve their equations with their Indian counter-parts and the saying about sports building bridges briefly rang true. There were also negative vibes. The intangibility of sporting performance linked to something tangible like money was bound to create corporate heart-burns and in the midst of the tournament heads began to roll. Bangalore Royal Challengers CEO Charu Sharma become a soft target as the team fumbled. Charu was fired and much after the tournament got over, Deccan Chargers appointed Adam Gilchrist as the captain while the earlier skipper V.V.S. Laxman was at a loss for words. Grace and respect, two words intrinsic to cricket seemed lost as a few team owners displayed their egos. The bubble of big money, arc lights, pretty cheer-leaders and a three-hour jaunt in the park perhaps skewed up priorities as the slap-gate between Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth showed that players were losing touch with reality. The issue of IPL’s big money affecting players’ motivation to represent their countries also flared up and recently Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene had to write in a rejoinder to a leading Sri Lankan daily over its alleged remarks about the cricketers from the Emerald Isles preferring IPL to their regular events. It is obvious that players are in a fix. They want the patriotic rush of playing for their nations, but at the same time also wish to partake of the IPL pie, which promises quick financial security. There was also the issue of Matthew Hayden missing out on Tests in the Caribbean as an inflamed Achilles tendon worsened in the IPL. The debate over ‘the need for rest’ versus ‘players’ desire to play the IPL’ was again churned up. But more than all this, the global economic meltdown and the recent terror strikes might affect the IPL. The proposals of various other Boards to have a league of their own will also trigger a conflict of interest and will eventually eat into the space of Test cricket and that’s something which should be sorted out quickly. Printer friendly page   Send this article to Friends by E-Mail Contents • Daily Sports • The Hindu • Business Line • Frontline • Publications • eBooks • Images Copyright © 2008 Sportstar Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of Sportstar.