FIVE REASONS WHY I WATCH THE IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is called a lot of things. Circus,
carnival, Bollywood movie, soap opera, and sometimes a culprit for all untoward
happenings. But under all the hype, hoopla, frenzy, glamour and packaging, IPL
is about cricket. Although not exclusively, but it’s still cricket being played
and it is still the game most of us love, even though it’s played in colors we
don’t like and in ways we don’t appreciate. But IPL, in an odd, random way, is
just like itself; you don’t really have what you want or expected, but you
learn to live it by ignoring the unpleasant and focusing on the bright side.
Gyan apart, we are a month into the fifth edition here is why I watch the IPL; despite the annoying trumpet sounds,
brand-spewing commentators and the absolutely abominable Extraaa Innings show!
- BECAUSE QUALITY MATTERS
They may be here for only for the money, but top international players, well most of them, come to India every year and very enthusiastically take part in the IPL. And they bring in the quality. For instance, Kevin Pietersen came in late and left early, but his short-term stint with new franchise Delhi Daredevils was breathtaking to say the least. And the explosive century he smashed against the Deccan Chargers is going to be listed as one of the highlights of this year’s tournament. Watching international cricketers playing alongside Indian domestic cricketers is a sight in itself. Who would have thought that we would see Lasith Malinga sharing the new ball attack with Munaf Patel or Brett Lee bowling in tandem with Lakshmipathy Balaji, Michael Clarke setting the field with Ganguly or Virat Kohli and Daniel Vettori discussing bower options together. Even watching players like Morne Morkel, Faf du Plessis, Owais Shah, Cameron White, not normally considered in the A-listers, put their best foot forward is worth watching. The presence of international cricketers lends a sort of credibility and, more importantly increases the quality of the IPL. - RISE OF GEN X
How many of us had heard of Shahbaz Nadeem before he rattled Mumbai Indians’ esteemed batting order? Or Pawan Negi or Parvinder Awana or Ashish Reddy or Paul Valthaty before IPL? Not many I am sure. And even if we had, we would have considered them as just another Ranji player. But IPL gives these young and upcoming cricketers recognition, the kind that domestic cricket doesn’t. Not to mention, the big bucks they bring home. Contrary to what most people think, not all Indian cricketers are royalty or loaded, and the fame, money and publicity IPL provides to these cricketers matters to them. Guys like Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathtn and the likes have played international cricket before, but IPL is still the platform for them. It may not be the ideal platform for national selection, but since our selectors consider it to be, strong IPL performances can take players a long way, case in point being Ravi Ashwin. And it is so not only for Indians, if you remember Shaun Marsh in IPL I took everyone by storm winning the Orange cap and a berth in the Australian team. - THE LAST HURRAH
By his own admission, this is the last time we are going to see Rahul Dravid play competitive cricket. It’s been years since we watched Adam Gilchrist play international cricket, but every IPL we can at least have a glimpse of the world’s greatest wicketkeeper-batsman. Watching Sourav Ganguly captain a side again is a longed-for sight, which we lucky to see this year. Muttiah Muralidaran’s trademark spin and smile are only seen in T20 leagues. It’s gratifying to know that retirement doesn’t necessarily mean the end of one’s career, we can always watch them in the IPL! I know a Gilchrist fans who religiously watched every Kings XI Punjab game just to watch him bat. Hundreds of Gagulians (as the cult calls themselves) have become Pune Warriors supports for their hero. I know a Dravid fan who actually traveled to Jaipur to watch him bat. And I completely understand this, I will never have enough of watching Dravid bat or Ganguly lead. If for nothing else, then IPL is worth watching to see the past greats in action. - THE THRILLS AND KICKS
Dale Steyn’s breath-taking spell against the Mumbai Indians, Virender Sehwag blazing his way to five consecutive half-centuries, Sunil Narine’s spinners that have left established batsmen astounded, Pune defending 129 and beating Mumbai Indians on their home ground, then Mumbai defending 120 and repaying the favor, all the last ball finishes, all the stingy 19th overs, all the gravity-defying catches and dives and run outs. IPL is not mere entertainment, it is entertaining cricket! There is no other way of describing the kind of cricket played by guys like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the likes. With no international cricket happening currently, a cricket-lover can get his kicks from watching the IPL. - THE FAMILY THAT WATCHES CRICKET TOGETHER…
Nobody in family watches a lot of cricket and even though the television is on whenever there is a match, the longer formats of the game are hardly followed by the folks at home. But that changes during the IPL. Maybe because they are shorter matches telecasted during prime time or maybe because it so well packaged and advertised, most of my family watch and follow the IPL. In fact my entire clan even got together to go to Wankhede to watch an IPL match, the first in a stadium or many of them. Funny thing is, there are times when I don’t want to watch a particular game, but my nephew makes me put on Sony Max, something that is unprecedented! This is probably the strangest reasons to watch the IPL, but spending time watching and discussing cricket with family is a good enough incentive for me.
I have absolutely no loyalties in the IPL, I don’t support
any team or rather franchisee. As long as the players I like are doing well I
don’t care who wins. But I will continue following the IPL, to watch my
favorite players, to watch closely-fought matches and most of all, to watch
some quality cricket.
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