Now that the dust has settled on the initial hoopla over the Indian Premier League (IPL), cricket aficionados around the world are passing their verdict, and I thought to myself – “why should I stay behind!” The verdict is as varied as revolutionary to trash. But instead of doing just a boring analysis of the format itself, I will also try to weigh what the critics have said so far. In essence, I will criticize the critics! Other than that I will of course offer two cents of my wisdom too.
I would like to begin with the most amusing section of critics here, the Brits, who are the self-proclaimed guardians of the game. They believe that T20 being a British invention, the ECB should have been the deserving pioneers of such a tournament. But aren’t we in a world where only the fittest survive? In such cut-throat competition, first movers will always have the advantage, and most importantly – the ECB invented this version way back in 2003, and I believe that if in five years you can’t come up with such an idea, you never will!
Moving on, we have section of purists. Most vociferous of the lot, this clan believes that this is slam-bang version of the cricket is not good for cricket’s health because technique, class and elegance go for a toss. Indeed, the Twenty20 format involves a lot of unorthodox play but it tests the true temperament of a cricketer in his ability to adapt to situations. Same was the apprehension about limited-overs cricket when it was introduced, but as far as I believe it has done no harm to test cricket. Rather it only infused life into an otherwise dull cricket and got youngsters hooked on it. Mind you, it was the inception of limited-overs cricket that led to the rapid decline in dull draws in test matches. And now that we are close to the halfway stage in this IPL, it has been quite evident that T20 is more tactical and requires more shrewd decisions by captains alongwith a dynamic approach as, unlike the longer versions of the game, there is no looking back – One over can mean a point of no return.
With the sheer amount of cricket being played today, the passion and enthusiasm amongst cricket lovers was somewhat dwindling. T20 has given the much needed spice and vibrancy to bring back the crowds. It has removed the boredom and monotony that was creeping into the game. It has also brought in more followers and more value for money for the public at large.
One of the key issues facing the ICC today is that cricket is not such a global sport after all. Today cricket has only ten test playing nations and a handful of associate nations trying to fill in with part-time players. You cannot call such a sport truly global. It does not even feature in the Olympic Games. The fact is that test cricket requires such high level of skill and talent that it would take decades to nurture a strong test cricket playing nation. Remember how long it took before India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan became a force to reckon with? Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are still struggling. T20 is the answer to this predicament. History testifies that new teams have become competitive in one-day internationals much quicker than they could in the test arena. T20 will only shorten this gestation period and entice more nations to nurture their cricketing talents. If ICC wants cricket to become a global sport, T20 is the answer; if ICC wants cricket to figure in the Olympic Games, T20 is the answer - and IPL is the vehicle.
Why I say IPL is the vehicle because the IPL has managed to do what all other ventures in different formats have failed – to bring in best talent from across the globe playing with and against each other. Never before has cricket witnessed this with such success. Who would imagine, just a couple of months earlier the same Matthew Hayden who wanted weed out Harbhajan Singh, is today batting for him when the latter is embroiled in another controversy? Most cricketers have gone on record saying it is an exhilarating experience to share the dressing room and experience of players who have been rivals for most of theirs cricketing careers. So what we can now see, though as an unexpected outcome of the IPL is fresh strategies, novel ideas and different approaches as a result of this potpourri of decades of cricketing experience.
Well there may some winners and some losers in the IPL, but there is no doubt that the biggest winner will be the game of cricket, and in turn the money paying billion odd enthusiasts across the globe.
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