IPL - Bonanza or Bust?

The IPL finally got under way this summer for the first time. Touted as "entertainment ka baap" by the broadcaster, I must confess, it has lived up to the expectations of many people if not surpassed them. It has been good value for money for most crowds as they see some some good cricket, and if they're lucky, some controversial incidents!

I think that the IPL will give cricket a better image worldwide without a doubt. I'm sure that the purists will disagree with me. I've stated all along that cricket is played only among the Commonwealth Nations and some other countries who really don't dominate the world of cricket anyway. What the IPL does (and T20 as well) is that it takes the sport a step closer towards globalisation. I'm not too sure whether the ICC or some people sitting in their arm chairs are looking for that though.

We're halfway through this tournament, and the team I support - The Chennai Superkings with our marquee player, the amicable MS Dhoni has done pretty well. It has been a good learning experience without a doubt for a lot of youngsters. Yes, Sachin has not played until now, Ganguly has failed fairly consistently (I'm not surprised) and so has Dravid. So what? It is a league, it is a team game with 4 foreigners in each team. If they perform well, so be it. I think every fan supports a team for the bond that they feel with the team. If you support one team for one or two players - you're a fool.

I think another good thing that the IPL has done is that a lot of females seem to be taking interest in the game. I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't have cared had a cricket match been on for a whole day or 5 days, but 3 hours of cricket - with entertainment more often than not has attracted their attention. A family can attend a match, like they might go out for a movie, at 8 p.m. and have a really good time. It has become a real obsession for many, and I'm not exaggerating!

Many of the purists are asking whether people will associate themselves with their teams and whether they would remember the 17 man squad of each team - questions which can only be answered after a couple of years and not 3 weeks. I think that the tournament has produced some city loyalties - whoever I know supports the Superkings. I watch some games on the TV and I see fans becoming quiet when their team is losing. If that isn't associating yourself with a team, then what is?

The IPL has produced some controversial moments as well. But, I would say that publicity - good or bad is still publicity! I don't believe conspiracy theories about those incidents being staged either. Any sport, any tournament will have controversies. It's pretentious to ask for good, aggressive cricket without expecting a single controversy.

As for the IPL experience, I see crowds filling up stadiums, players giving their everything for the franchises. The fans are enjoying this cricket fest and it has, at least in my view, surpassed all expectations. It has been great fun to watch some matches on TV and even attend one! So, the IPL without a doubt has been a bonanza!