The close encounter in the finals at Mumbai, yet again resounded the roaring success of the Indian premier league. Kudos, to the BCCI/IPL-IMG combination, which stood up to worldly challenges and put up a great product. IPL's accomplishment confirms a true graduation in the cricketing world. That leads us to the next question as to what were the factors that made this big success.
It was not that the ICC and the ACC bodies didn't try teams comprising players from various countries. By the end of Afro Asian and world XI games in the recent past, the organizers realized that the intensity or the 'connect' to the game was missing from the player's side. But then it was justifiable at the backdrop of the patriotic cricket they have been playi
ng all their life. Any games other than the test and ODI format ran the risk of being stamped as a 'TAMASHA' games which lacked commitment from the players as well as the traditional followers of the game.
The primary and the real mantra for IPL's success were the player's high intensity and sustained involvement through out the tournament. No matter how philosophical one is, the unprecedented flow of money is the strongest reasons for player's unflinching commitment. At the same time the player's intrinsic loyalty to the ardent followers and the franchisee owners cannot be discounted. To endorse the latter, the high emotions expressed by the euphoric winning teams were equally matched with the despondent faces of the losing sides.
Team owners have danced to the rhythmic percussions and in the same breadth have echoed their sentiments during the ignominy of defeat.
Owners further went on to sack managers and didn't even hesitate to give their piece of mind to the iconic players, demanding results.
When fans become owners of the team, such reactions would be quite common. The players must come to terms with owner's reactions which may not be very pleasant at times. Unlike in running industries, where the gestation period is mentioned and understood, in 20-20 it's all about winning and nothing else.
As for the foreign players, IPL could be another venue or even an extension of their fading careers. But the gains for the Indians players are plenty. The lesser mortals with abundant talent found a great platform to exhibit their flair. The sense of self worth has hit the roof top in some of the players like Asnodkar, Yusuf Pathan, Goni, Goswami and many others. How could anyone have envisaged incidents like Asnodkar, an opening batsman from Goa, hugging and jiving with the legendary Shane Warne and arch rival Sohail Tanvir's name being chanted in unison by the enthusiastic Mumbai crowd?
The game of cricket has taken fresh guard. The new face where the Indian business houses have entered cricketing space needs delicate understanding and approach. No doubt the core of IPL is the participation of Indian corporates. There are few more corporate backed cities, knocking at the IPL door for entries. The three year wait for the new entrants into the IPL might not only be challenging for the business houses but also for the IPL Management. A repeat success of event in the following year should be the top most of all priorities for the IPL. Business sentiments are notoriously fickle. A succession of disappointing following or poor data points could well turn the current optimism into a gloom. At the other end all kinds of business tycoons have been trying and testing to replicate a similar venture.
All that remains to be seen is how can conventional cricket be saved and protected at the back drop of emerging new trends in the world cricket.
HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS