Thursday, March 20, 2008

Indian Premier League - A Cricketing Transfiguration



Thanks to Subash Chandra and the ICL because without this rebel league there is no Indian Premier League.

When Kerry Packer started the "World Series Cricket" in late 70's , no one thought that it would influence International Cricket very seriously. The Colour jerseys, WhiteBall and FloodLights and ODI format reached a wider audience. That is the same situation now. The T20 reaches a wider audience since it gives the thrills and chills of football,Tennis etc. After the disastrous worldcup in the carribean due to India and pakistan's early exit, the T20 came as a refreshing one with young guns from India won a thrilling final which will be remembered forever.

Everything would have gone right for Indian Cricket League if India had not won the ICC world Twenty20.But that didn't stop ICL from signing domestic and International players.The BCCI came with a solution that is the INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE. It consists of 8 city based franchises and an auction took place for the teams and people like Mukesh Ambani,SRK,Preeti Zinta ,Vijay Mallya etc won the auction by bidding more than other participants. The Auctions for the players was the main thing which created a lot of expectations from the league. Indian ODI skipper MS Dhoni was won by Chennai SuperKings for a record 6 crore rupees.

It is very early to judge the success of the league. But if it becomes a hit there will be expansions which will result like the English Premier League and the cricket fans around the globe will be eager to watch each and every season of IPL. But the real question is "Will Kolkatta applaud when Shoaib Akhtar takes the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar?".If the answer is yes then the model is going to be super duper hit.The probability is more for that "Yes" is more than "NO". We have seen Kolkatta support South Africa and applaud when sachin got out in a Test match in which Ganguly was dropped from the team following the row with Greg Chappell. Since DADA is the captain of the Kolkatta Knight Riders they will support his team. The same is with Mumbai Indians,Hyderabad Deccan Warriors and my favourite Chennai SuperKings.

What everyone should not forget is that this league is not like the Asia XI vs Africa XI.This model will require the full commitment of a player which will also be a vital factor for the success of the league.As said in the title this model will transfigure International cricket into Club based cricket which is good for cricketers who can earn a lot from this league. A Player's form might even be decided based on this league. Whatever may be the case the cricket fever in the form of IPL will be hitting India this summer.

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