IPL and after

There has always been a buzz associated with IPL.  It has all the three S's (Speed, Spice and Sex) in it.

Right from the Season 1, BCCI, team owners and the media has ensure that the buzz is maintained.  High decibel promotion campaigns,  live DJs during the match, sensual cheerleaders, good looking hosts and bollywood.  All this has ensure that you can't stay away from IPL.

Due credit to Lalit Modi to start this and successful completion of 6 'successful' seasons is testimony to that.  (Successful for BCCI, cricketers and cheer girls, I don't know whether anyone else has benefited from IPL).

Team owners are yet to break even, television copy rights were given at astronomical prices and we as spectators are always made fools of it.

Sometimes it feels to me that IPL is more like WWE, the famous wrestling arena, where everything seems stage managed.  The only objective is to provide entertainment.

Did you noticed the final presentation ceremony of IPL 6?  Ravi Shastri while congratulating the winners of purple cap, orange cap, (blue cap and yellow cap!) ensured to end the sentence with thank you very much for the entertainment.  IPL was and shall always be less about sports and more about entertainment.  It competes with the 3 hour movie in the cineplex.

But the recent scandal surrounding spot fixing, match fixing and god knows what all has clearly moved the floor beneath dignitaries.  As I write this post, senior team of BCCI has already resigned and the buzz is Mr. Srinivasan shall quit by tomorrow.

Whether this shall be good or bad for IPL I don't know, but one thing is sure, IPL is not dead and it shall bounce back even stronger next time.

How does it impact me as a IPL viewer?

I never viewed IPL as a sports about two team competing with each other and my loyalty with one team.  There was no loyalty involved here other than I liking Mumbai Indians, since I am based from Mumbai and things like that.  It was and always has been an entertainment for me.  And it is always better than the 'saas bahu' type serials with which it compete its air space.

So as a viewer I am least bother about what happens to IPL, what I am bother about is what happens to cricket, our cricketing talent and to young aspiring cricketers.  Everything else is rubbish!