Today Feb 4th was an awful day for BCCI / IPL
with the withdrawal of Sahara India franchise from both the Pune franchise and
Indian team sponsorship on the day of the IPL 5 auction.
The collapse of the Kochi & Pune franchises, the cricket
TV rights debacle with Nimbus and the waning form of the Indian cricket team
overseas, BCCI is looking at both severe reverses in financial and cricketing
fronts.
Just a year back, India winning the ODI world cup and
humongous amounts which Kochi and Pune franchises paid for the slice of the IPL
action.
Need to phase out the
legends
Indians have always been in awe of their cricketing Gods –
they can never imagine them to age and retire on time. It is always a case, we
ensure they overstay their welcome and give very few chances to blood new
youngsters. It happens when it is too late.
Cricket Australia has been quite ruthless to cut legends
down to size when needed, be it Ian Healy, Mark Taylor or Steve Waugh.
Over all fitness /
intent
Forget the slow moving gentlemen like VVS Laxman and Rahul
Dravid, younger players like Zaheer Khan and Virendra Sehwag seem so tired and
bored to take to the field.
Easy IPL money
Ravindra Jadeja picking up 2 million $ is crazy for playing
a domestic T-20 league to bowl 4 overs and slog the bat. The IPL is an unlikely
villain which incentivizes slam bang cricket and further de-incentivize classic
test cricketers on the lines of Wasim Jaffer or Akash Chopra.
DRS obstinacy
One bad experience in Sri Lanka with the DRS, Indian cricket
is ready to block DRS thus ensuring cricket games are no longer played in the
same playing conditions. The chances of human error can be minimized but never
eliminated. If cricket boards had played similar hard ball in the early 90’s we
would never had the third umpire.
Neglect of other domestic
tournaments
Apart from IPL, the older domestic tournaments like Ranji
Trophy, Duleep Trophy are not getting crowds and even the performances in these
games do not get the same visibility of an IPL.
We are creating a generation of T-20 focused cricketers ignoring
the other formats of cricket.
Overpriced business
models
SET MAX, Neo and the IPL franchises have definitely
over-invested and paid huge amounts, the number of meaningless games and waning
interests in both cricket grounds and dropping TRPs is clear that the game is
going to see tougher times ahead.
Is there Hope ? I don’t
think so
Usually I conclude my posts on an optimistic note but I don’t
see one here, a game which is run by business men and active politicians who
have no love for the game, a cricket coach and selection committee who cannot take
tough calls, this are only going to more bleak. I don’t see any conviction in the
cricket administrators to make a change.
Remember Sachin Tendulkar will retire soon one day, it is
going to take some great magic to get the average Indian fan turn on his TV set
for 5 am Test match versus Australia or buy a ticket for an IPL match.
Sahara has seen the storm coming and there is trouble in paradise.
With the demise of Pune franchise, the scope to making IPL into two group play-off reduces.
ReplyDeleteWith two group play-off, would mean less matches and less boredom (20days into the IPL)
Of cource the dis-association of Sahara from the non-IPL "India cricket team" could be far more than it meets the eye.
Anyways I am not too much a fan of Sahara as a business house. So not much unhappy
@ Khalil - my point is the financial and cricketing bungling of the BCCI and IPL.
ReplyDeletethe fact the 2 franchises who paid through the nose for the 2 new teams have brought in so much uncertainity talks about 2 things - 1 over priced model and secondly the financial stability of the new franchises to take losses.
frankly for Mallya, Ambani and SRK the cricket team is an hobby / advertising
Everything above is very pertinent and no one wants India to do well more than me.
ReplyDeleteBut there are two points where I completely disagree. Just like Ravi Shankar Prasad disagrees with Barkha Dutt. Completely!! ;)
1) India's best players are needed for them to come out victorious, and I do not think age has anything to do with being the best. Yes, India need to come up with a future proof strategy. For me that strategy is the proper blend of experience and youth. Precisely, we need the Kohlis and the Tendulkars in the same team.
2)Along with this I guess IPL is India's best chance of moving towards aggressive cricket. It has given the Indian batsman an intent to hit boundaries and the intent to field better. I do not see it is all wrong. Just that along with IPL, I guess we should revive the Ranji and the Duleep Trophy, may be with cooler names and lots of something which makes IPL what it is today, money and fame!
Left eyebrow raised!
@ Rajat - thanks for your comment as voice turns to text :)
ReplyDelete1) There is always need to plan for the future, if class was permanent, Don Bradman, Gary Sobers, Steve Waugh would have never retired.
in the case of Dravid, Sachin and VVS as the gentlemen are close to touching 40 years it is clear there is a need to plan for a graceful exit.
sure Sachin can play with Kohli in the current series or maybe the next one. But will Sachin make it to the 2013 South Africa series and more importantly will he be at his best is another question.
its is obvious all greats must make way for new, as Vengarskar and Gavaskar made way for Sachin, Dravid so should they make way for a new generation.
2) IPL is fine as a format, but I really dont see creating a nation ful of new cricketers who believe in slam bang cricket and cringe to be a classical batsman like Dravid or Laxman.
only brute force of Gayle and Warner is appreciated. the grit and determination for a 5 Day game is lost.
Money is most welcome but it should match performances, as a sport gets commericalized club over nation and professional over amateur always succeeds.
but for a sport like cricket which has fewer countries which play it, its sad if crickets prefer club over nation, cash over class
GAme on :) your turn
Clearly and as most times, you are right. I agree with both the comments that you have put in.
DeleteBut then I have a different approach to what you have said.
1) Old players:
Of course we need a team for the future, but we should not compromise on quality. I guess what we need is a process where people are groomed over a period of time and not lost to the immense pressure of expectation, or spoilt with too much fame which the game brings along with it. We cannot afford another Irfan Pathan and neither another Kambli, and example of each kind. So we need a blend to transform talent lto performance.
2)Domestic leagues:
What makes IPL what it is? Its short, glamorous, people watch it, sponsors love it and it grows bigger everyday. It catches the attention of every TV viewer. Ranji and Duleep trophy are boring today and no one wants to watch it, so it has zero TRPs and hence minimal sponsorship. We need to innovate, may be make it a rule that every IPL team owner will have to groom a Duleep side etc. The possibilities are endless. But in the current format and exposure, it is bound to perish. Banishing IPL which is highly unlikely is one, highly impractical and two, a step back.
@ Rajat : we agree on almost everything see my grouse is not with the senior players them selves its the lack of vision with the cricket administration and selectors/coach.
ReplyDeleteBy failing in both planning for transition and excessive importance to IPL they are only setting up Indian fans for more and more crushing disappointments.
Instead of just an IPL league if they focussed on state level games more competitive and viewer friendly it would be wonderful.
performances in IPL alone cannot produce lasting legends like Sachin, Dravid or Laxman