With IPL 3 round the corner, I had to write about cricket’s most talked about event. IPL returns to the shores of India once more after a short journey in South Africa. The IPL brings with it a carnival environment, non-stop action and of course superstars of cricket and bollywood. The event has been a huge success and hats off to Mr.Lalit Modi for organizing this event. I am not a big fan of Modi, infact I am a fan of cricket so I can never be a fan of Modi but I would like to give credit where it’s due. It’s the first major franchise level tournament in cricket to get so much recognition. Cricket has always been over the years a country level sport unlike other sports such as football and basketball. Cricket has never been a sport blessed with financial riches but IPL has changed that. It gives our domestic stars a chance to make a living out of cricket. But as much as I am a supporter of this event, I am a vehement opposer to the way the event is being run. This blog is not to tarnish the image of IPL but to make it an event that is acceptable to all.
This year’s IPL has been marked with controversy. It all started off with the non-inclusion of Pakistan players. I am not here one min to say Pakistan players must be involved. IPL is India’s domestic event gunning for global acceptance. In that case, if there were security issues or politics running between the BCCI and the PCB, the BCCI should have never asked Pakistan players to apply for visas. Why make them do all the work and then embarrass them by not including a single player in the event. For heaven sake, they are the T20 champions and the likes of Afridi, Asif, Gul and Ameer would find a place on any squad. Mr.Lalit Modi ensured any tiny bit of unknown hatred didn’t go unnoticed. If the boards have a problem, they have to deal with it but embarrassing players is certainly not on. What is IPL without cricketers? Can Mr.Lalit Modi bring about IPL success without playing talent? He should realize that players are the lynchpin for success of any sport. I just feel sorry for all cricket fans because they are going to miss the most mercurial of talents in this year’s IPL.
The next issue was the Telangana issue. I do agree that major security issues exist in conducting a match in Hyderabad. Yes, relocation seems an ideal decision but again there is a way of doing it. You can’t go about relocating matches to Nagpur and Mumbai and announce the decision in the press. The franchise need to be consulted, the fan base has to be taken into account among other issues. The most illogical decision was to relocate to Mumbai and Nagpur. How much more is Mumbai and Nagpur safer than Hyderabad? I guess with the idiots of the Thackeray family ever present, Mumbai is more prone to attacks than Hyderabad. Other alarming aspect of the decision is to ignore the importance of a fan base. What is sport without fans? Fans pay money that help running of this event. Mr.Lalit Modi again shows his notorious capability to exercise the use of power. Power in management is like a weapon. If it is in the right hands, peace and happiness exist but if it falls in the wrong hands, it could cause havoc and chaos. Mr.Modi has assumed indefinite amount of power and I can’t help but compare him to any of the most feared dictators of the modern era.
Another burning issue that remains to be sorted out is the presence of foreign players in this year’s IPL. How can any player come confidently to India after one of our most renowned politicians have issued statements that would make Osama proud? Yes, the Thackeray’s fighting a losing battle for existence in Maharashtra makes daring statements that if any common man had made would be arrested for indulging in terrorist activities. IPL has every right to stay in India but my point is every foreign cricketer has a right to decide whether to participate in this year’s IPL or not. Mr.Lalit Modi can’t punish players for refusing to come because of security grounds. Did India go to Pakistan when there was a definite security threat? Will Sachin, Dhoni or other Indian stars dare to set foot on Pakistan soil now? Again, Mr.Modi has to realize that players make IPL a success and not his money and cheer girls. He should learn to be considerate and try and find a neutral ground on this issue.
How important is foreign media to the success of the event? Mr.Modi seems to be making more enemies than friends in this world. A media boycott of the IPL looms large over this glittering event. How can anyone pose so many sanctions on the media and expect the media to comply with these unrealistic rules. This episode takes us back centuries to the da vinci’s and Galileo’s time where freedom and free thinking were suppressed by the powerful church. How will IPL be famous around the world if news agencies and television channels are going to boycott this event? I guess ignorance is bliss for power frenzy dictators. As history has shown us in the past, a dictator unless benevolent in nature, will never have the last laugh. I just hope that all the good work that Mr.Modi has done with the IPL doesn’t bite the dust because of his arrogance.
Let’s come to the cricketing aspect of the IPL. It’s high time, IPL be recognized as a global event and finds a place in the Future Tour Program of the ICC calendar. The likes of Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist have been constantly airing out their opinion regarding this issue. No IPL fan wants to lose out on seeing the best players in action. The likes of Ponting, Clark, Johnson and Hussey are players that fans would pay money to watch any day. We only have to go back to last year when Gayle left KKR for international duty and the team never recovered from that. I am sure fans like me would love to watch Gayle smash the bowlers around in every game of the IPL. This is one area I feel Mr.Modi has been soft with the ICC and he needs to try and find acceptance for this proposal very soon.
As I mentioned before, this blog is not a scathing attack on Mr.Modi or the IPL but dangerous facts that could seriously dent the public image of the IPL. Management and organizers of the event have to realize that any sports event revolves heavily around players, fans and the media. Ignoring or disrespecting any of these powerful sources would certainly lead to destruction and chaos. Hope organizers of the IPL pay little more respect to all of these sources and work with all of them to make IPL a grand success. I can’t wait for the event to start!
This year’s IPL has been marked with controversy. It all started off with the non-inclusion of Pakistan players. I am not here one min to say Pakistan players must be involved. IPL is India’s domestic event gunning for global acceptance. In that case, if there were security issues or politics running between the BCCI and the PCB, the BCCI should have never asked Pakistan players to apply for visas. Why make them do all the work and then embarrass them by not including a single player in the event. For heaven sake, they are the T20 champions and the likes of Afridi, Asif, Gul and Ameer would find a place on any squad. Mr.Lalit Modi ensured any tiny bit of unknown hatred didn’t go unnoticed. If the boards have a problem, they have to deal with it but embarrassing players is certainly not on. What is IPL without cricketers? Can Mr.Lalit Modi bring about IPL success without playing talent? He should realize that players are the lynchpin for success of any sport. I just feel sorry for all cricket fans because they are going to miss the most mercurial of talents in this year’s IPL.
The next issue was the Telangana issue. I do agree that major security issues exist in conducting a match in Hyderabad. Yes, relocation seems an ideal decision but again there is a way of doing it. You can’t go about relocating matches to Nagpur and Mumbai and announce the decision in the press. The franchise need to be consulted, the fan base has to be taken into account among other issues. The most illogical decision was to relocate to Mumbai and Nagpur. How much more is Mumbai and Nagpur safer than Hyderabad? I guess with the idiots of the Thackeray family ever present, Mumbai is more prone to attacks than Hyderabad. Other alarming aspect of the decision is to ignore the importance of a fan base. What is sport without fans? Fans pay money that help running of this event. Mr.Lalit Modi again shows his notorious capability to exercise the use of power. Power in management is like a weapon. If it is in the right hands, peace and happiness exist but if it falls in the wrong hands, it could cause havoc and chaos. Mr.Modi has assumed indefinite amount of power and I can’t help but compare him to any of the most feared dictators of the modern era.
Another burning issue that remains to be sorted out is the presence of foreign players in this year’s IPL. How can any player come confidently to India after one of our most renowned politicians have issued statements that would make Osama proud? Yes, the Thackeray’s fighting a losing battle for existence in Maharashtra makes daring statements that if any common man had made would be arrested for indulging in terrorist activities. IPL has every right to stay in India but my point is every foreign cricketer has a right to decide whether to participate in this year’s IPL or not. Mr.Lalit Modi can’t punish players for refusing to come because of security grounds. Did India go to Pakistan when there was a definite security threat? Will Sachin, Dhoni or other Indian stars dare to set foot on Pakistan soil now? Again, Mr.Modi has to realize that players make IPL a success and not his money and cheer girls. He should learn to be considerate and try and find a neutral ground on this issue.
How important is foreign media to the success of the event? Mr.Modi seems to be making more enemies than friends in this world. A media boycott of the IPL looms large over this glittering event. How can anyone pose so many sanctions on the media and expect the media to comply with these unrealistic rules. This episode takes us back centuries to the da vinci’s and Galileo’s time where freedom and free thinking were suppressed by the powerful church. How will IPL be famous around the world if news agencies and television channels are going to boycott this event? I guess ignorance is bliss for power frenzy dictators. As history has shown us in the past, a dictator unless benevolent in nature, will never have the last laugh. I just hope that all the good work that Mr.Modi has done with the IPL doesn’t bite the dust because of his arrogance.
Let’s come to the cricketing aspect of the IPL. It’s high time, IPL be recognized as a global event and finds a place in the Future Tour Program of the ICC calendar. The likes of Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist have been constantly airing out their opinion regarding this issue. No IPL fan wants to lose out on seeing the best players in action. The likes of Ponting, Clark, Johnson and Hussey are players that fans would pay money to watch any day. We only have to go back to last year when Gayle left KKR for international duty and the team never recovered from that. I am sure fans like me would love to watch Gayle smash the bowlers around in every game of the IPL. This is one area I feel Mr.Modi has been soft with the ICC and he needs to try and find acceptance for this proposal very soon.
As I mentioned before, this blog is not a scathing attack on Mr.Modi or the IPL but dangerous facts that could seriously dent the public image of the IPL. Management and organizers of the event have to realize that any sports event revolves heavily around players, fans and the media. Ignoring or disrespecting any of these powerful sources would certainly lead to destruction and chaos. Hope organizers of the IPL pay little more respect to all of these sources and work with all of them to make IPL a grand success. I can’t wait for the event to start!
