Desicritics Category: Sports: Twenty20

Taking Stock of The IPL Effect

Varun P — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 09:52:30 EDT

What lull! What happened? What is the time right now? 8:30 pm, right?? So why aren't the TV on? Where have all the screams and shouts disappeared to? How come we have saas-bahu serials on TV again at this hour? What's wrong? No match today? An off day for the IPL?

These were some of the questions that I was bombarded with as I entered home last evening, and then reality dawned on the ignorant me: The IPL extravaganza had come to a conclusion; the festivities, the celebrations had all reached a dramatic crescendo on Sunday, June 1, 2008. Life is expected to return to normal now that our daily dose of the 3-odd hour long sports+entertainment show is over. And it is unlikely to stage a comeback at least till October 2008 and that too only if the Champions T20 cup takes off as planned.

The success of the IPL can be gauged by how much the IPL had become a part of our daily life! Look at what the IPL has achieved - thank god for the instigation provided by the ICL else IPL might never have been conceptualized, despite whatever Lalit Modi might claim. The IPL has proven to be successful beyond any of our wildest dreams! A hit with the masses, the stadium sales, the advertisers, the sponsors and the TRPs, all bear fruit to the unprecedented success that the IPL has enjoyed! Lalit Modi has even suggested holding the tournament twice a year from 2011 onwards - what option does ICC have but to make room for the IPL in the Future Tours programme! The game is attracting viewership across all age groups and geographies and it's not only the organizers who are happy with the success - the players too are reaping benefits of performing in this niche tournament! With their salaries likely to go through the roof from next year onwards (when the cap of $5 million may be removed), the ICC had better take proactive measures to ensure that players do not cut short their international careers to participate in the IPL.

The inaugural edition of the IPL has enjoyed unprecedented success and had become a daily ritual where we finished work in time and ensured that we were seated in front of the TV sets by 8 to cheer and egg our franchises on! The next day, at work, was obviously spent in lauding this format and analyzing the game, with expert views coming from both genders! The format and unpredictability of the game has stumped everyone - some have had a pleasant experience while others are fuming at the surprises coming their way! The least we have seen is an unearthing of the talent that abounds in India - if not for ODIs or Tests, we at least got a healthy pool of youngsters to choose from for the international Twenty20 matches.

The IPL had also freed us of the daily overdoses of the saas-bahu serials, albeit a temporary respite! Now that the IPL is over, we need to return to the normal grind of life and ensure that we sleep-walk thorugh the days till the T20 games are back on TV. The soaps are back at the top of the TRPs chart - yet another proof of how the IPL had an impact on our daily routines.

P.S. The cap on players' salaries is unlikely to be lifted next year. This is likely to ensure that all franchises have equal purchasing power.

Rajasthan Royals Win IPL Twenty20 Championship Off Final Ball

Aaman Lamba — Sun, 1 Jun 2008 14:39:06 EDT

A month and a half of cricket-watching ended with some pretty good cricket as the Rajasthan Royals lifted the inaugural Indian Premier League Twenty20 Cup and $1.2 million in prize money. Chennai were the putative underdogs, given the fabulous winning streak of the Royals. The team had belied their original promise, and much like the Little Engine That Could, pushed their way to the final, ably driven by Shane Warne, who will doubtless be noted in the annals of Rajput history, along with some friends from across the border. The victory was due a razor finish, avoiding a bowl-out from the final ball.

The Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to bowl. The innings started a little late due to the pre-game entertainment, ranging from the Cirque du Soleil to Salman Khan. Each team got some airtime in the form of Bollywood-themed performances. Cricket luminaries like Sharad Pawar and David Morgan hailed the IPL format and Lalit Modi proclaimed their 'hopes fulfilled'.

Once the game started, the Chennai Super Kings got off to a good start on a typically slow scoring wicket. They were 39 off 5 overs, when Ravindra Jadeja caught Vidyut in the first of his spectacular catches of the innings. The batting stayed strong until Raina's wicket fell. Morkel was caught earlier in an unfortunate kerfuffle in which Akmal and Kaif collided badly. The run rate dropped in the slog overs, to the cost of the Super Kings, and were it not for the final efforts by Dhoni, they might have ended with a lower score than they did.

The Rajasthan Royals innings started well enough, but Niraj Patel fell in the fourth over, and the run rate stayed below the required mark for the first six overs or so. They lost two more wickets in the next couple of overs, the most silly that of Kamran Akmal who didn't seem to have a clue and just kept running back to the dugout. There was a bit of humor when a ball bounced off Yusuf Pathan's helmet and they took a run as it was caught behind. Despite the appeal, the wicket was not given, and a leg bye not signalled at the time, though registered soon afterward. Yusuf Pathan helped push up the run rate with some forceful shots, gaining 14 runs off the 10th over. His luck continued as a crucial catch was dropped by Raina off Muralitharan's first over.

Despite the run rate not quite rising, the game seemed destined to go down to the wire even after Pathan stepped up the pace in the 12th over with a couple of back to back sixes. Muralitharan broke the Shane Watson-Pathan partnership in the 14th over, giving some hope to Chennai. Pathan became a bit more cautious after this, but not for long. Mohammed Kaif and Ravindra Jadeja went for consecutive dismissals, and despite another stroke of luck in a missed run out, Yusuf Pathan was run out in the 17th over for 56. Sohail Tanvir and Shane Warne dribbled singles off each ball, and needed 8 off the final over in a midnight finish. The scores were level off the final ball, and Rajasthan took a boundary.

The victory was an exciting moment. The teams were visibly tensed, and it was an emotional scene. It was also time to bid adieu to some of the most sustained television watching one has done for a while, and the many events and characters that populated the mediascape. From a little child's best friend to the never-say-die Sanju, the mind-numbing repetition of advertisements ensured the audience will recall the spots and characters, if not the messages or brands. One of my favorites was the inspiring 'The World Never Sleeps...Citi Never Sleeps' one.

The non-playing action has been as intense as that on the field. We've had fulminations against the cheerleaders, the Indian Premier Legs, as it were, and opinions about the changing order of world cricket. We've had tragedy in the form of the Jaipur bomb blasts, and on the other hand, shared sub-continental pride in Pakistani players that gives one much hope. Slapgate is better glossed over in the annals of history, although one expects it may still have repercussions in the main Indian team.

Next year will be another time. The teams will look to make changes and treat the first season as a learning experience, where they had to improvise as they went along. There will be greater focus on consistency and teamwork. Significant changes are likely, from team composition to playing styles. The value o the international players has been proven, although local players have done more than one might have expected too. The IPL management might shake things up, the better to improve and sustain TRPs. The owners will look for ways to improve the revenue productivity, as it were. A few icons will possibly be replaced or retire. Challengers to the IPL might arise, from the EPL to a revamped ICL.

It is equally likely we will see changes in the international team, with some old hands making way for younger players who have shown promise. The BCCI could look at offering Shane Warne a contract.

Barkha Dutt & The IPL Cheerleaders

Emma — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:04:30 EDT

I am not much of a cricket fan; yes, I do keep track of what's happening. It is difficult not to, when you are living with an obsessive cricket fan, whose priorities in life are (and will always be) cricket, sleep and then me. So, yes, the IPL has invaded our living room too and taken over our lives completely. And yes, I have been reading up on matches, offering my not_so_expert and often unsolicited but enthusiastic comments on players and teams all of which have been dismissed with equal disdain. I have been following up on the various controversies from the "slap" episode to the cheerleaders controversy to Khan's presence in the dug-out (why the hell is it called that?). But all this while I have also maintained my silence.

Last week, I read this. From the beginning I have felt that the whole issue about the cheerleaders was much ado about nothing, that we were unnecessarily wasting our time. Do we need the cheerleaders? Frankly speaking, I don't care. Are they a blot on the Indian culture? Can someone please explain to me what is this "Indian culture" all about? My mediocre mind just doesn't seem to fathom such a profound idea. But I do understand this: that every person in this world has a right to choose what one wants to do. And if my profession is being a cheerleader, and if I am being paid what I think is good enough money to do my job (even if it is in a country where I open myself up to voyeuristic gazes), I am not sure why is it a problem for anyone. Least of all someone like Barkha Dutt who doesn't tire of saying she is a journo with a cause (again, whatever that means!). So, I have this to say to her.

Dear Barkha,

Your article was totally in bad taste. Lets look at how you describe the act of cheerleading - "bevy of barely clad, big-breasted blondes wiggling their bottoms at a billion people? As they swirl and twirl their little red skirts and flash their wide, gummy smiles...". Excuse me, but whatever happened to professionalism? What the cheerleaders are doing is just their job. Maybe, dear Barkha, you ought to go and look up what "cheerleading" is all about. And learn to recognize that they are professionals in their own right. Probably, this would help. Frankly, I can understand your 85-year-old uncle disapproving of them (and if that is being liberal, I need to go look up what "liberal" actually means), but don't you think your reaction, and your description, is all about taking too many liberties with journalistic licenses?

There is, of course, more with which you shock me to no end. You call it "choreographed sexuality", "trashy" - obviously, you haven't watched Indian movies in a long long time. To be honest, maybe never. Forget the "choreographed sexuality" that oozes out of our small as well as big screens today, haven't you ever seen Sridevi's pelvic thrusts and Madhuri's bosom heaves before? And how come you never found them objectionable? Or maybe you have just forgetten. So much so that you go on ahead and call the cheerleaders "white trash". Honestly, to me your statement is as "farcical and indefensible as the attempt by sundry politicians to ban them or dress them up in clothes that cover their knees".

You say you are not speaking for preserving moral culture, yet you do not understand why "a self-confident nation needs play to copycat to some air-headed ritual from the American heartland". Maybe the next time you get all dressed up to get to work you should stand and observe yourself in the mirror for a minute. And ask yourself this question: which part of the dress that you are wearing is actually typically Indian and not from an American heartland? If this isn't being hypocritical, pray what is?

I agree with you on one point though - manufactured sexuality is not a mark of emancipation of women. But to me what is emancipation is this: that a Rakhi Sawant chooses to flaunt her sexuality. I don't really care why she does it; but to me the fact that she chooses to do so and is totally unapologetic about it speaks a lot about one's emancipation. Freedom, Barkha my dear, is the right to choose who you want to be, when you want it. These cheerleaders are professionals, even if they are in a profession you don't approve of or would ever take up on your own. Are they not doing their job? Then, what gives you (or anybody) the right to decide that they are nothing but "trash"?

It just doesn't strike you, does it, that you are sitting out there on this high pedestal of yours, strong in the belief that you are in an "honourable" profession that it seems totally okay for you to pass judgement on other professions that you don't necessarily approve of? How professional is that? Isn't it below someone to be purely judged on what you see on the outside? You see a few dances (which at the risk of over-emphasising, let me say, is their job) and you decide they are nothing but "trash", "faceless bimbettes"; that they have nothing else to recommend for themselves apart from being "steamy, sexy and sultry". You are absolutely right - "breaking free from the conventional orthodoxy of right-wing moralists" doesn't mean replacing one stereotype with another! We condescend to others when we pass judgement on their choices. Sure, through a middle-class prism, it seems terrible to be a prostitute (as it does to be a construction worker or a ragpicker, for that matter). But is it really right to judge a person on the basis of the profession they are in, which probably is also a profession they chose to be in?

Warm Regards.

PS: By the way, when did Shobhaa De and Karan Johar become the yardstick that Indian women can be measured by?

PS1: I am totally stuck by one statement (out of context, if you ask me) that you make: "...our sense of modernity [cannot] be borrowed from a country that still debates whether women should have the right to abortion?" Let me just remind you this - that this country also has a very big pro-choice group and they don't go about snuffing life out of foetuses only because they are girls. Or doesn't that matter at all?

SlapGate, Suspensions, Referees, and Code

Kartikeya — Fri, 2 May 2008 13:58:21 EDT

They are falling like nine pins. Players are getting banned, suspended and fined. They're blaming each other for using delaying tactics (in a 20 over game). Sachin Tendulkar meanwhile is still injured (and is being spared all this nonsense).

It emerged in the midst of SlapGate, that even though the IPL had all the trimmings - on field umpires, third umpires, fourth umpires and match referees, they didn't actually have a code for the referees to enforce. The garrulous Farrokh Engineer eventually used the ICC Code of Conduct in his ruling on SlapGate. It now appears that the IPL has appropriated the ICC's Code of Conduct for Players and Officials and further extended it beyond the ICC's wildest dreams. What we have, is the first ever instance of a referee suspending an umpire in a game of cricket! Farrokh Engineer has suspended the on-field umpire Pratap Kumar for heeding Sourav Ganguly's request to refer a disputed catch to the third umpire.

It began with this incident involving Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly. Warne's side claimed a catch against Ganguly. Ganguly wasn't sure if it was clean, and didn't leave the wicket. The fielding side was convinced that it was clean, as was the square leg umpire (Rudi Koertzen, no less!). It all rested with the umpire at the bowler's end who needed to be convinced that the watch was clean. Now, if the umpire at the bowlers end was convinced that it was clean, he should have given the batsman Out. Usually, if the umpire at the bowler's end has been unsighted, he will take the word of the umpire at square leg. In any event, Ganguly requested that a referral be made (which he ought not to have done), and a referral was made.

So far so good. Farrokh Engineer has effectively ruled that Pratap Kumar went against his own better judgement and was influenced by Sourav Ganguly's request in making the referral. Is it really possible to prove that sort of thing? Also, if it is infact proved, is a suspension enough? Shouldn't Pratap Kumar get kicked out?

In any event, the most breathtaking thing here is that the Umpire has been dragged by the match referee into the fray, along with the players. This is unprecedented ground - where a referee sits in judgement of an umpire. Given Engineer's decision, why should he not suspend an umpire if a couple of LBW's are given wrongly, especially if in both cases, you have the batsman showing his bat to the umpire as the appeal was in progress (indicating an inside edge)? The whole premise of the Umpire, is that they are above the fray. They are not in competition with the players, and hence cannot be judged alongside the players. Referee Engineer has done just that.

Shane Warne's suggestion that Ganguly asked the Indian umpire to make the referral (as reported by Cricinfo), is dragging the whole matter down further into a charge of favoritism. Since the catch was taken by Graeme Smith, and the square leg umpire was Rudi Koertzen, why would a similar charge of favoritism not apply when considering the case of the square leg umpire immediately ruling that the catch was clean? This is especially interesting given that the third umpire, Asad Rauf eventually ruled in favor of the batsman, against Rudi Koertzen. With Farrokh Engineer enforcing his adopted British voice in the matter, what we seem to have is a perfect commonwealth brouhaha.

Of course, all these charges of parochialism are absurd, but that is what this seems to have descended into. The whole thing seems to closely resemble World Wrestling Entertainment, which resides deep in the bowels of Cable TV, with its make believe umpires and contests. The convenient application of the ICC's Code of Conduct to grant an element of seriousness to proceedings, coupled with the complete moral and logical relativism which marks Farrokh Engineer's treatment of the umpire, is just one more signal that the IPL is not serious about Cricket.

Delhi Daredevils Break Chennai Super Kings

Aaman Lamba — Fri, 2 May 2008 13:48:40 EDT

After 5 turns in the round-robin league of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 series, the rankings are quite interesting and might even have had an unbeaten streak for the Chennai Super Kings, had it not been for the Delhi Daredevils disciplined bowling and batting today at Chennai.

The game was foreshadowed somewhat by the departure of Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, and Jacob Oram to prepare for an Australia-New Zealand series. Perhaps for this reason, but as much due the efficient Delhi bowling, Chennai were limited to 169, not a good enough score in Twenty20 any more. Stephen Fleming saw his first inning in the IPL, a rather good one, but losing his wicket in the fourth over. Vidyut's own maiden inning was better, and partnerships between Vidyut and Dhoni, and then Morkel pushed the score up, but they seemed to lose steam in the middle overs.e

The Delhi batting was more focused, and high scoring. Right from the start, Gautam Gambhir and Virendra Sehwag kept up the pace, and pushed the score past 100 in just under 9 overs. Sehwag hit quite a few sixes and fours, until he was caught in the twelfth over. Gambhir went in the 14th over, and the run rate slowed somewhat as de Villiers and Shikhar Dhawan wrapped up the total in the last ball of the final over, winning by 8 wickets.

The points table has a bit of an upset after this game, and the remaining games before the knock-out stage should be interesting as the top teams battle for their positions with the struggling middle order teams. The bottom-ranked teams like Bangalore and Mumbai have little hope of surviving this stage, but stranger upsets have occurred in cricket.

Team	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Delhi	5	4	1	0	0	8	1.263
Chennai	5	4	1	0	0	8	0.743
Rajasthan	5	4	1	0	0	8	0.525
Punjab	5	3	2	0	0	6	0.372
Kolkata	5	2	3	0	0	4	0.681
Deccan	5	1	4	0	0	2	-0.214
Mumbai	5	1	4	0	0	2	-1.396
Bangalore	5	1	4	0	0	2	-1.886

Off-field, both Shane Warne and Saurav Ganguly were fined for their sportsmanship, or the perceived lack of it. Also, Harbhajan Singh has apparently disappeared from IPL and Mumbai Indians hoardings.

Rajasthan Royals Humble Kolkata Knight Riders

Varun P — Thu, 1 May 2008 14:31:35 EDT

When the King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, launched his cricket franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders, in glittering style a few weeks along with a couple of heartwarming taglines, he could never have imagined that a few days later he would be mouthing one of those phrases after the third consecutive defeat in the IPL tournament — Be scared, be shit scared!

Though the Knight Riders began their campaign in style, winning two matches in a row, the fire seems to have died in their bellies ever since they have returned from the six-day break!

Or maybe, the fire was not there in the first place! I mean take away Brendon's dreamy, breezy, surrealistic, out-of-this-world innings in the first match, a shocker of a pitch in the second and a couple of breezy knocks from Shukla and you are left staring at a batting line up that has failed to fire in any of the matches! Sure, the bowling looks good, especially with Ishant running in and cleaning up the left handers, but the overall standard of the Riders has left a lot to be desired.

Where is the fire, guys? What happened to all that aggression? Are you lacking any sense of purpose or a reason to perform? Or all you are concerned about is pocketing your fat pay cheque? If the Knight Riders do not get their act together in the coming days, then they may find themselves contesting for the top 4 position in the IPL championship — from the bottom!

Nothing should be taken away from Rajasthan Royals, who have relied on local talent and the sheer presence of their captain, Shane Warne, to cause as many as four upsets. For a team labeled as underdogs, they sure have done wonderfully well to have 4 wins under their belt from the 5 matches they have played so far.

The same can't be said of the other, more fanciful and overpaid, franchises. The battle for the Top Spot in the IPL championship promises to be a captivating one and in my heart, I believe it's just a matter of one win — yes, just 1 win, 1 moment of inspiration — to set the Knight Riders back on track! So, keep cheering SRK, Kolkata, All the King's Men!

IPL's First Victim: Harbhajan Singh Banned For 11 Matches

Aaman Lamba — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:06:35 EDT

Harbhajan Singh was handed down a ban of 11 games following the IPL-managed hearing in New Delhi. The bowler was found to have acted without provocation and did not intend to appeal the decision. The Mumbai Indians' coach, Lalchand Rajput, was also fined for not taking any steps on the spot despite being right behind the two when the incident happened.Sreesanth was given a warning, despite there not having been any immediate provocation.

"The referee studied video tapes of the incident and found the assault by Harbhajan was totally unprovoked. The footage exactly showed that Harbhajan went down the line, wishing all the players, shaking hands with a few players," said Lalit Modi, the commissioner of the IPL who is also a vice-president of the BCCI. "Sreesanth was the third player that he met. Instead of shaking his hand he actually slapped him and continued down the line, shaking hands with the other players."

It is strange that the Mumbai Indians' team management and owners have not be penalized in the tournament, as the player was in effect the team captain. The management's attempt to disown responsibility with the 'contracted' player excuse is a weak measure, and in any corporate setting would not have been tolerated. Players on any team should be concerned about the arms-length nature of their relationship with their owners, which implies that while they would be only to glad to take credit for the successes, yet might not take responsibility for any actions contrary to their interests, even if on the field.

This, in effect, weakens the viability of the IPL as an independent collective of organizations. While controversy creates cash, the IPL should dock the team and its management, and perhaps the Xings XI Punjab management might be allowed to seek civil damages. The only way the Mumbai Indians could be seen to do the right thing would be to penalize the player in their own way, perhaps monetarily, although there is a significant financial impact from the ban. As it stands, the Mumbai Indians is the most expensive franchise on the IPL roster, and this almost certainly makes them a poor horse to bet on, if one were allowed to mix metaphors.

Harbhajan Singh also faces independent disciplinary action from the BCCI, and a permanent blot on his cricketing record, which was not free of controversy in the first place.

In other non-cricket related news, Tamil actress Nayantara was dropped as brand ambassador of the Chennai Super Kings ahead of today's game in Bangalore against the Bangalore Royal Challengers. She failed to show up for a game in Chennai, and despite reports of health issues, the team management was in no mood to see its brand investments go waste and has dropped her from the list, and decided to go with only Vijay, another Tamil star, as the brand ambassador for the team.

Thoughts on IPL

Adithya — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:07:11 EDT

There was a time when the excitement of a cricket match was natural. People drove around on the roads of Bombay with the Indian flag draped around them, their cars etc. This was even before a victory. It was around 2003 and it was the World Cup. It must have either been India vs Pak or India vs Australia. Heck, I gave up on my board exam and invited friends, bought snacks and waited for the match to begin.

Cut to 2008 and we have contrived excitement all over India. I just don't understand why so much of marketing and propaganda is going into this. Forget BCCI's revenge on ICL, BCCI's show of might or Lalit Modi's whims. Why is there a major build up to everything concerning IPL? Why didn't it just stop with stars purchasing teams and becoming owners? I did like that joke of Saif in an awards function when he said, my friend here(SRK) was not allowed to watch a cricket match and so he bought himself a team!

Thankfully people watching IPL on CBN are not subjected to the countless ads. Or so I hear. I have watched, probably, 10 overs of IPL so far. I read about it here and here. Why is Sivamani there in the stadium adding to all the frenzy? I can understand if I see SRK in Kolkata or Preity Zinta in Mohali. You cannot see Mukesh Ambani often because he has a proper job. The other owners have a job that requires them to show their face at regular intervals. Let's not even get into the whole cheer girls thing. Why are these people being such a dramebaaz? Like someone remarked, if a sport resorts to cheer girls dancing, singing half of the time, the sport must be really shallow. I liked Ramachandra Guha's comment on it though:

"All the organisers are doing by making scantily-clad white women dance in front of huge crowds is to stoke the base voyeuristic and sexual insecurities of the Indian male. It is revolting, appalling and shows the game in very poor light."

I am all for T20 cricket but then it's neither being played nor marketed the right way. It's good fun. Things take a turn in a matter of a ball. The T20 world cup showed how exciting it can be and it also showed how bowlers do have something to play for. But then having a league with players worth millions, we have a strong batting side hitting sidelined Indian players all around the ground. Add to this Sivamani, Washington Redskins cheerleaders, Bhajji slapping, Sreesanth crying and countless brands laughing their way to the bank.

A friend compared IPL to league football and said we could do with something like that in cricket. That is so illogical. Mukul Kesavan points out beautifully. It is very pedestrian and it highlights ignorance when you make such a comparison. League football celebrates football in all its splendor and glory. It's proper ninety minutes of play. Not a toned down version like T20. They don't try so hard to market themselves. Don't tell me they don't have to. They never did. I'd watch Real Madrid play Manchester United at Old Trafford rather than Mumbai Indians play Chennai Super Kings. That is until they play proper cricket and inspire me to give up my board exam and invite friends home. On the pitch, that is. Not on Royal Sundaram stand with Vijay, Nayanthara and Sivamani!

On a completely different note, some of those marketing minds at work are truly gods. You can't help but like this. Truly remarkable people at work.

IPL Cricket - Neither Quite Nor Quiet

sufferingsocrates — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:34:55 EDT

The current Indian Premier League Twenty20 matches seem to be getting embroiled in one controversy after another. If the whole idea of the IPL was entertainment, it seems to be dishing out added spice and controversy to make it an even bigger hit. Unfortunately, after a little over a week of IPL action, it is really sad to note that the standard of cricket has been quite disappointing.

Critics and experts of the game say that Twenty20 isn't really cricket and IPL never so. Simple reason being that, the skills of any cricketer is too short to be assessed in this format which hardly lasts 3 hours. A counter argument could well be, is it really worth watching 35 hours of play spanning over 5 days of Test Cricket ? True, and that precisely is the reason why a new fan base is developing for Twenty20. A new generation of sports fans who just want to see an exciting short game, with lots of sixes and fours and an enthralling finish if possible, like the Jaipur/Hyderabad game this week.

In essence, many of those in the new fan base, would have been those who found even the ODI format too tedious to watch over 7 hours in a day. The three hour Twenty20 format is short, crisp and not too dragging. It is the bowlers whose reputation is taking a pounding. On the positive side, the bowlers will have to be even more clever and try to come up with more tricks to counter ferocious hitting all through 20 overs in a match. McCullum started the IPL with a scorching 158* in the very first match and the success of the batsmen has been consistent, except for couple of below par performances during the IPL.

Though the batting has been sometimes outrageous and unimaginable, the fielding standards have been quite shoddy and at times mediocre. Especially, the dropped catches in most matches have been quite appalling. An exception could be the match between Punjab/Mumbai yesterday, where Brett Lee made a fabulous run out and Yuvraj and Bravo came up with stunning catches. That apart, the fielding has been poor all through. The bowling has been pretty bad too, except for some inspiring bowling from McGrath, Mohammad Asif, Ishant Sharma and Brett Lee. It is understood that this is a batsman's game. But unless the bowlers come out with a better strategy, Twenty20 could well do without any world class bowlers.

Batting has been brilliant at times. Conventional shots have been put in the back burner and scoops,reverse sweeps and slog sweeps have become the daily dose. It was hearty to watch Sangakkara's innings yesterday, which was conventional, yet brisk and much to the liking of cricket connoisseurs.

That much for cricket. Now for the spicier part of IPL. No sooner had the Eden Gardens pitch controversy died down, the culture keepers of India came out against the cheerleaders of IPL. Obscenity was considered to be in full display by the supposedly skimpily clad cheer leaders. This, coming from top brass politicians, who are fine with the deluge of item numbers in Hindi movies, and the lead actors willing to expose every inch of their inherited Indian cultural assets. That has indeed not been taken note of, or is it that the politicians have a censor board of their own for editing these?

I guess, any obscenity which can be of three dimensional nature and real life, and which can be felt, is what irks the politicians. It is so ironic, that on one side they want to have sex education imparted in schools, but do not have faith in the common public when they watch these cheer leaders. It is also amusing and scary, that they want the policemen to do moral policing when the Indian capital has responsible policemen raping minors ! It may be a generalization, but is something serious to ponder about.

The pitch controversy was certainly not planned for sure, and was a blunder by the pitch curator. The pitch at Kolkata by all means was terrible and very dangerous to play cricket on. The magic of Twenty20 cricket is that , it is so short a time to play for, that the pitch condition doesn't really matter. But, if the same pitch had been used for a 50 over game, I am quite sure the match would have been called off . Since IPL is riding on billions of dollars, the match had to go on. The players had to play on, since they are being paid so much ! So Twenty20 now has truly proven that it is not about cricket or the players. It is about the crowd, the entertainment. The pitch or the bowlers or the fielding doesn't really matter. The charm of cricket is the pitch conditions which vary from country to country and season to season. But Twenty20 wipes out that advantage altogether.The batsman, as has always been the case, relish and plunder the bowling.

The positive side of having international stars arrive and play in the IPL was to create better camaraderie between rival players, who would be sharing the same dressing room. There are lots of pros and cons. Players would come to know what are the weak point of a player and play on that when they represent their country. On the positive front, it would also be an opportunity to iron out differences and understand the culture of other players and respect them. This, in fact, could be a boon and a bane. It would be a boon, if the players truly respect and toe the line when it comes to cultural or racial slurs on the cricket pitch. A bane, if the players do just the opposite to sledge even more. The latter sounds rather sinister, but cannot be entirely ruled out. The IPL also gives an opportunity for upcoming talent to learn more about the game from past and present legends with whom they are playing.

Unfortunately, IPL can also work totally against national team members playing against each other. Cricket, being a sport, is really competitive, and when the national team members face off against each other, sparks could fly, words could be exchanged, and this could create disharmony when they eventually play together for the national team. This is precisely what happened after yesterday's match between Mumbai and Punjab yesterday night. An upset Harbhajan Singh (captaining Mumbai), after the loss apparently slapped Sreesanth (bowling for Punjab) who just a few months back were playing together on the cricketing field for India. This has become a fresh controversy, and even if things are sorted out between them, when they share the dressing room for India next time, they would always think back on this incident and not be comfortable with each other.

This incident, for sure, is not make believe and had to have happened. Why else would Sreesanth cry uncontrollably on the field, that too after his team had won their first IPL match ? The problems are only going to start, simply because the owners of rival teams could be at loggerheads, and that could easily permeate to their team members on the field. Well, it could be termed as entertainment, but then it doesn't help in building a good rapport for team members of the same national team.

All in all, the IPL thus far has been cricket-wise, moderately successful, entertainment-wise, hugely successful. Controversies will always dog the IPL, since big bucks are involved and any small incident will always be blown out of proportion. As a true cricket lover, I would only pray that Test Cricket be left alone. And hope that ICC changes the way ODI games are played. For ODIs are in grave danger of being replaced by 20-20 which doesn't really require too many skills. The only reason ODIs would continue to flourish, would be because this is the only format where true talent and big hitters of the game can be identified for the shorter 20-20 format. Test cricket can still never unearth big hitters or fast run scorers.

IPL Twenty20: Mumbai Indians Lose Sorely To Punjab Kings XI

Aaman Lamba — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:03:01 EDT

The poorly named Mumbai Indians have had a string of bad luck, or perhaps bad captaincy, in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 series. They currently share the bottom of the points table with the Deccan Chargers. In the most recent match, the Zinta-Wadia owned Punjab Kings XI trounced the Mumbai team by 66 runs on home ground at Mohali.

The Punjab innings was marked by a 94 from Sangakkara, who received the orange cap for highest overall scorer and the Man of the Match award. Bowling figures were good but not great, with Nehra and Harbhajan Singh taking important wickets. Sachin Tendulkar did not play again, not having recovered from a groin injury yet.

The Mumbai batting never really got off the ground. Brett Lee took two early wickets, and the Mumbai run rate never really rose above 6 or 7, while the required run rate was close to 10 initially, and then rose to 12 and beyond. The highest scorer was Bravo at 23, and Brett Lee had the best averages.

What happened on field after the victory put pale to the game, and sportsmanship itself. While both sides are backing off a fullblown controversy, the bald facts of the matter are that hotblooded Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth in the face when Sreesanth commiserated with him post the match. Sreesanth began crying and the celebrations were marred by scenes of Sreesanth crying continuously, being comforted by team members. Wags mocked that it was perhaps because he hadn't been hugged by Ms. Zinta, but when the truth emerged in the post-game press conference, the cricketing world went ballistic.

An apology was tendered, and the affair is being attempted to be brushed under the proverbial carpet, especially by the BCCI and the PCA, but a cricketing nation is aghast, not least the media. The Punjab team may lodge a complaint with the IPL come morning, and probably should. Tempers have run high on-field often enough in cricket, but it is the responsibility of team managers to control hotblooded players. The difficulty is compounded, as might be expected by the fissures that might affect performance of what is termed the 'national' team. While this might be a disciplinary issue for the IPL, it becomes a matter of team cooperation at the BCCI level.

Sreesanth can be volatile and over-dramatic on the field, and perhaps even off the field, and the prolonged on-field tear-fest was a bit strong. There had been pre-game indications of a looming clash between the two players. There seemed to be ongoing jibes through the match, as when Mumbai's Musavir Khote was dismissed. There were indeed questions on whether this was a manufactured controversy, yet if the IPL is to maintain its effort at being seen as part of respectable cricket, strict action must be taken against Harbhajan Singh.