Identity Crisis

The premier Indian tournament is here and after the World Cup excitement, the Indian Premier League has appeared to have lost some of its charm.   Watching the 4th edition is like watching a sequel to Mad Max which doesn't feature the original actors in their usual roles but different people with similar looks.  As in sequels, the interest is considerably reduced and it requires much more than plain acting ( playing in this case ) to make it attract attention.

BCCI has contributed to the event negatively by scheduling it just after the World Cup and India winning it didn't help matters either.  Some franchisees have also chopped and retained players to get a winning combination by forsaking the identity of the team with their loyal fans.  Giving a discount on the merchandise , reducing ticket prices does not necessarily guarantee that a KKR fan will not miss Sourav and come and watch the revitalised team. The others are more loyal to the game or the following they bring in and have  retained their top draws.   Still I am yet to see a fully packed stadium and definitely the numbers in the stadium will be better than the viewers on TV.

I seriously have a problem associating myself with any of the teams in IPL, having been born in Hyderabad ( Deccan Chargers ),  spent early childhood in Kochi ( Tuskers :(  ) ,speak Tamil ( CSK ), educated in Pilani for 6 long years ( Royals ?) ,worked in Delhi and Bangalore ( Daredevils or RCB ).  That leaves me only with 4 teams for whom my support  doesn't count at all.  Both at home ( my daughter supports MI, my wife  despises the antics of KKR Shahrukh Khan and is in awe of KXIP's Preity Zinta's costumes ) and anywhere in India ( 1 million of them would anyway  be Sachin fans ) ,  I would be a minority counting for little like the Indian middle class.  The World Cup had the best players of the countries and here you have a minimum 70 Indian state players who are still yet to sort out a Malinga or Warne.  The DLF maximums and Karbonn Kamaal catches are sensationalised branded outcomes of  normal cricketing events.  The commentators try to generate interest by crying hoarse for every single taken and the cameras showing filmstars have made it a movie where cricket is just an incidental thing.

Neverthless the game still enthralls the die hard despite the bowler being reduced to a " Thanks for coming" kind of role.  The pitches have slowed down and the ball not coming on to the bat make it more a mental thing and adjustments and recalibration are required in the middle of the innings to get to some total which you can defend.  This is where a cricketer like Tendulkar or Mahela's cool head counts and many a time the chase has not  been timed to perfection and results in a negative result. Slower bouncers, scoop shots are all played and these are the take aways from the IPL to the 50 over game.  Whether it has contributed to the global reach of the game, time will tell and definitely the game is vastly different from what it was and guess I have to to change to keep up with the times.