IPL - Indian Cricket's Nemesis? Not exactly
The Indian team has lost 8 overseas Tests in a row. IPL must be responsible. Indian batsmen are susceptible to swing bowling. IPL must be banned. India team lost to England at home. It must be the IPL, right? India lost the ODI series to Pakistan at home. IPL, you scoundrel. Ravindra Jadeja has a bad haircut, Virat Kohli is dating a Brazilian model, Cheteshwar Pujara hasn’t yet made his ODI debut. Well, put the blame on IPL. It can’t be anything else…
What did I ever do?
Welcome to the IPL world. The single biggest reason for each of Indian team’s failures (and success, at times) since 2008. IPL-bashing is among the favourite pastimes for Indian Cricket critics, armchair critics and the fans. Well, if you think this is going to be yet another piece on IPL denigration, you are in for some disappointment.
Love it or hate it, the IPL razzmatazz is huge. Many players have risen from obscurity to superstardom, and have earned in three years what most players would wish to earn in a lifetime. The cash generated over the past 6 years has made BCCI the richest cricketing board in the world. The revenues generated through advertisements and sponsors are obscene numbers. For a good part of 2 months every year, the Indian TV audience is hooked onto the great IPL tamasha. Indian supporters metamorphose into CSK, KKR or MI supporters.
With such positive vibes and a huge fan following for the IPL, why is it that every time India loses a match or a series; it is the IPL towards which fingers are wagged? When a player gets out to a loose shot, we say he is not committed as he gets hoards of money through the IPL. When Indian players failed overseas continuously, it’s because too much of IPL has corrupted their minds. It would be naïve to completely ignore IPL’s role in Indian Cricket’s downfall, but the reasons are not what it are often made out to be.
IPL is not the only T20 league happening around the world. We have the Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, Sri Lanka Premier League and less glamorous versions in England, South Africa, West Indies and now in Pakistan. Other teams are doing quite well, and in fact these leagues have helped their national teams in more ways than it has been detrimental. Bangladesh has become a much more competitive limited overs unit over the past couple of years. Australia has got a vast pool of young fast bowling talent through their league, and so forth. Hence, instead of blaming IPL for Indian Cricket miseries, the following tweaks in the system will make it a win-win for IPL and Indian Cricket.
IPL should not be given a window in India’s Cricketing Calendar
IPL has window for itself in the yearly cricketing calendar. Indian Cricket cannot have any other international series played at the same time. The reason being, the availability of all Indian players will lead to higher TV ratings and higher buy rates. Really? Is this what cricket has come to? IPL should be about T20 cricket and not about glitz, glamour and TV ratings. The T20 leagues in other major cricketing nations like Australia, England and South Africa do not have their own window in the cricketing calendar. They still do quite well, as they rely on quality of cricket and not the presence of international level cricketers. It doesn’t matter if a Dale Steyn or a Michael Clarke is not a part of the league. They have the Chris Morris’ and Callum Fergusons instead. Cricket should occupy the higher rung in the ladder, not TV viewership.
Moreover, with the IPL being mandatory for the national team, it leads to excessive cricket and fatigue. Many senior players opted out of the West Indies tour in 2011, sighting this as a reason. The IPL should always be an option, not a priority. Hence, the IPL window in International Cricket must be done away with. The popularity of the league will definitely take a hit to begin with, but that shouldn’t matter. Indian Cricket is above a CSK or a RR.
Indian players not allowed in foreign leagues
The IPL auctions happened this past Sunday (3rd February) and each one of us was excited to see who the latest recruits in our favourite teams would be. 37 players were bought by the 9 teams and lots of interesting names have joined the IPL bandwagon. The foreign leagues have their own multiple ways of acquiring players, but never has an Indian player been a part those leagues. Reason? BCCI does not allow the players to do so. This is another extremely annoying aspect of the IPL and BCCI. When players from foreign countries can gain priceless knowledge of Indian conditions through their IPL experience, why is it that the Indian players don’t get similar opportunities?
The men who matter(ed)!
The BCCI must let go of its unreasonable ego and start allowing Indian players to join the foreign leagues. Players like Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey, Lakshmipathy Balaji and also the national team players (whenever they are free from international commitments) will not just add value to those teams, but will also get an opportunity to gain invaluable experience and skills to survive in alien overseas conditions.
IPL performance should not be a case for Indian team selection
This is probably the biggest issue with the IPL. Any player who has a good IPL season, scores a ton or gets a hat-trick is guaranteed a free pass into the Indian National Team. It is almost like an unsaid offer by the BCCI “Score an IPL ton, and get a tour with the Indian Cricket Team absolutely free”. Ever since the first IPL, India has handed debuts to players like Manpreet Gony, Abhishek Nayar, Sudeep Tyagi, Yusuf Pathan, Murali Vijay and countless others purely based on their IPL exploits. Ranji performances are hardly given any notice. How else can one explain Amol Mazumdar not being given an Indian cap as yet, or Subramaniam Badrinath not being given an extended run with the Indian team?
Manpreet Singh Gony – Played in Indian colours as CSK won the IPL
It is perfectly understandable if players are drafted into the International T20 team based on their superlative IPL performances. But drafting them into the longer versions of the game is inexcusable. Most of these players have failed in their international outings and have not lasted for more than a series. It’s high time that Ranji Trophy performances are rewarded with International debuts and not IPL feats.
Banning the IPL is not a solution to Indian Cricket’s debacles. I am sure in spite of all the finger pointing and IPL shaming, every one of us loves to watch and cheer for our favourite teams. But the BCCI needs to realize that the current format of the snazzy league is doling out billions of rupees at the expense of Indian Cricket. IPL should be an add-on to Indian Cricket and not a deterrent. People love to see the IPL, but what people love even more is the sight of MS Dhoni and his boys (Indian boys, not CSK) lifting trophies.