IPL: Strong likes and dislikes

There are some aspects of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which are very good for the game of cricket in India and the world. However, there are many other aspects which make me detest the annual tournament.

Why don't I start with what I like about it?

1. Platform for domestic players: How many of us follow the Ranji trophy or any other domestic competition? How many of us would know about players like Pragyan Ojha, Saurabh Tiwari, Vinay Kumar, Yusuf Pathan or Cheteshwar Pujara had it not been for the IPL. All these players came into the limelight even before they played a single international game. How terrific is that for young, upcoming talent?

2. The international mix: I'm sorry for bombarding you with rhetorical questions but here are some more: How many of us would get to see Tendulkar and Jayasuriya opening an innings or Dale Steyn and Pravin Kumar bowling in tandem? There are so many different combos of players in front of us that it adds variety and gets exciting. Even the domestic players get a taste of international thinking and strategy.

Here is Shane Warns blogpost on the IPL expressing similar views: IPL and the Rajasthan Royals.

Now here's what I don't like about it:

1. Glamour: Sometimes I wonder what I'm more allergic to: glamour or religion? Of course, crony capitalism dictates that wherever money can be made, it should be made. So in the pre and post match shows, cricket takes a backseat and movie promotions, celebrity interviews and all sorts of other 'packaging' takes place. Even during the match, the high-profile team owners are repeatedly interviewed, sometimes at the cost of missing a few deliveries. The worst part is, there are parties after each game where loser-type, celebrity hungry people can hang out with cricketers by paying Rs. 40,000/- odd! No wait, the worst part is such parties getting more news coverage than the match itself!

2. Advertisements: IPL 3 - 2010, the first time advertisements between deliveries were introduced. And God forbid, immediately after an over is bowled or after a batsman gets out, if an advertisement is not shown within 2 milliseconds, heavens will fall! 

3. Trading players: I've somehow always considered cricket to be a sacrosanct sport so I'm not too happy with the idea of franchises 'dealing' with the buying, selling and auctioning of players. Although there is a strong counter-argument that if it is not done, IPL wouldn't be what it is, so fair enough!

4. BCCI: The board that has more power and money than the ICC. Quite naturally its rank and file is full of extremely corrupt people who settle scores at the expense of 2 franchisees. I give a rat's ass to the owners of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals who were kicked out but I feel for their players as they did nothing wrong. If there were irregularities, was the BCCI dumb enough not to see them while the franchises were formed in 2008? This shadiness in conducting the IPL is the most disturbing.

Here's my satirical mockery on IPL - More Sleaze in IPL 4.

I still hope that the tournament continues but the glamour and shadiness fades away!