IPL 6 - Calling out to the underdogs

Surprises, rather than imbalanced sides, is what IPL needs

It’s that time of the year again! When old-school cricket fanatics shut their eyes and sigh in angst while the more accepting fans rub their hands in excitement for what is in store for the next few days. It began with an attempt to amalgamate cricket and Bollywood at the opening ceremony yesterday. Did it fail, garnering rebuke from the old-school cricket fanatics? Or did it succeed in trying to attract a mass of people who are not too concerned with what happens in the cricket world? Either ways, the IPL has announced its arrival and will commence today, taking in its stride the wrath of the critics and the pat from its supporters.

It’s futile pretending everything is hunky-dory with the league. The usual accusations – player fatigue, International duties first, risking injuries and spoiling youngsters with an abundance of money – will flow in as always. But keeping them aside, the league faces a major challenge in terms of the level of competition expected. Back in 2008, the now defunct Deccan Chargers outfit were tipped to be the favourites to bag the inaugural league given the stellar performers they had on board. In perfect contrast, they finished at the bottom of the table, losing 12 of their 14 games! The first edition brought to the fore an unexpected winner in Rajasthan Royals and that set the tone for coming seasons. It endorsed that fact that big spending doesn’t always convert into victories. There is much more that goes into a cricket team than just marquee players and big names.

Unexpected, unscripted stories are what make us remember some matches more than others. Competition is imperative and pivotal to the success of any sport. Unfortunately, a pattern seems to be emerging out of the IPL that can be a major hurdle in making fans stick to it and also attracting new enthusiasts. The bigger and evidently much richer teams are already showing signs of dominance by flexing their muscles in the auctions. Although it may be too early to jump to a conclusion, the Sunrisers, the Royals, the Pune Warriors and Kings XI already look like they belong at the bottom of the league.

It’s important to understand that rivalry and co-existence is the core of the sports industry. A strong Manchester United in the English Premier League (EPL) would love to beat a strong Arsenal time and again. But one thing they wouldn’t want to happen is Arsenal to become a team that cannot challenge them any more, as that that would be a loss of a spectacle that for years has attracted attention to the EPL as a whole.

Similarly in the IPL, what people would love to see is one of these teams which haven’t done too well in the recent past to come to the fore and challenge the bigger ones. The IPL, at the moment, cannot boast of a fan base where fans are committed to their city based franchisees as much as the EPL fans are. The club culture is yet to take shape in India and ignite passion among followers or fans from a particular city for its own franchisee. Although there are ardent supporters committed to their own city franchisees too, a rivalry at the level which is seen in football has failed to come out.

Hence, the Indian public needs much more of the close encounters and unexpected triumphs rather than a single handed dominance pattern. It would be great to be surprised by some of the teams from whom people don’t expect much, as it happened in the first edition. Serious competition that will promote co-existence and result in the longevity of the league is something that the league wants. Underdogs to the rescue!