IPL Mania

Finally the T20 fever has gripped the entire country and how. Not only has it gained the interest of each and every red blooded, cricket loving citizen of India, it has also been successful in gaining the interest of many outside of India as well. India was one of the last countries to adopt this format of the game but has proved its mettle in this fast paced format by winning the inaugural ICC T20 world cup held last year. I think the BCCI was a bit sceptic initially about this whole format and its reliability. But once it has decided to endorse this format, the results have been ripe. The amount of money being spent is almost ridiculous and the world’s richest board could not let go of this opportunity.
Of late there has been a lot of hue and cry over whether this format of the game constitutes a sustainable model of revenue generation over a long period of time. I believe that there should be no problem in this aspect because the short duration of the game (4-5 hrs) makes it easier for audiences to stay and watch the game and not get bored sitting in the stands.
The whole concept of the fast game is conducive to the lifestyle of the modern families and makes for an entertaining affair. Why else would Mr. Mukesh Ambani invest $111.9 million in his team Mumbai Indians (which btw is fairing pathetically in the tournament till date). Doesn’t he have anymore oil fields left to exploit and shouldn’t he be using his money in putting up a petroleum plant somewhere .Or does he just have so much money that he doesn’t care if this meager sum goes to the dogs. Then what about Shahrukh Khan and Priety Zinta who have invested $75.09 million and $76 million respectively in their teams. I seriously don’t think that they have put all this money to waste .They would be expecting to gain loads in the long run and I think they are fully justified in thinking so. From The promise that T20 has shown till date I don’t think there is any stopping this version of the game.T20 my friends is HERE TO STAY!!!!!!!
The IPL also it seems has lived up to all the hoopla that it had generated before its launch and seems to have all the makings of a yearly event in the cricketing calendar. It is also being speculated that from next year onwards the ICC may suspend all international matches during the IPL so that the teams do not face a player crunch. Seems like a very realistic possibility doesn’t it.
Some cricketers do say that this is not the correct format of the game and is only a temporary pleasure which will soon fizz out. I think this is the same thing that was said when ODI’S were launched and only test cricket was prevalent .After taking the world by storm, the ODI’s attracted a larger array of people which was way larger than the viewership of test cricket which included only die hard cricket fans. Of late the tests had become quite a boring encounter with a large number draws ruining all the fun. But recently, the ODI game has influenced test cricket as well with the increase in run rate in tests and thus faster scoring leading to quicker innings and thus providing results. ODI’s have replenished test cricket and given it a new lease of life in this age of T20 mania.
But the question arises now is that will T20 do the same thing to ODI’s. Will it overpower the ODI’s or will it run in parallel with the ODI’s. In my opinion, it is quite a possibility that T20 might just make the ODI’s seem like a boring way to play cricket. When you can have the game finished off in 20 overs per team then why stretch a 4 hrs game to a 10 hr one. T20 might just pull away the crowds from the ODI’s and leave it in a very difficult position. Then it might just happen that T20 will help rejuvenate the ODI’s (spotted a trend ??) . But that’s a thing of the future and of one that’s not so near at all. Let’s just enjoy the latest flavour the wonderful game of cricket has to offer and soak in all its fun. Hurray to IPL and the T20 format!! Three Cheers!!!!