BOMBAY-ADDA
IPL – HAS THE DEFINATION OF CRICKET CHANGED ?
When we talk about cricket, it is a religion in India. When it comes to the cricket crazy fan following in India one won’t be surprised to see the intensity with which the game is followed in this country. The way this game is followed in our country is an example of celebrating sport in true sense. Since 1983 when Kapil Dev lead an underdog Indian team to lift the world cup to M.S. Dhoni lifting the world cup in Wankhede after 28 years, cricket and the cricketers are worshipped in India. For any Indian this game just doesn’t remain a mere game but an affair of high intense emotions involved. With the new edition of spice in the game by IPL the definition of cricket has taken an all together different shape. The way Indian audience has welcomed club culture in cricket has been a revelation and an example set in the world.
With a lot of money, brands and cricketers around the world playing for their franchise team has given a new image of this sport
Today fans come to watch cricket for the love of their team and for the love of the game and not for any individual. Mumbai being a high profile city in the field of cricket which has always been known for producing quality cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and the new sensation Rohit Sharma have always expressed its love for the game. But the question that rises in ones mind is with the recent controversies surrounding IPL, where many famous cricketers and many celebrities are involved, has the big giant league done justice to the game of cricket. The last season of IPL saw S.Sreesanth the member of the world cup winning team was caught fixing the game and Mayyipan the CEO of an IPL team being involved in betting the whole credibility of the game has been questioned around the world. The question is are the people still interested in watching IPL after so many scandals coming in light which were probably going on for so long in this league. With the veterans like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly bidding farewell to the league has also given a big reason to the fans which might take their interest away from the league. The whole concept of IPL focuses on the constant change in the teams after every three seasons has also shifted interest of many fans from the league. The people often have expressed their irritation and confusion raised by this as they cannot adjust to a particular team as there are too many transfers and the players with which they associate to keep changing teams. Can you imagine Chennai super kings without Dhoni ? Can you support Malinga if he plays for Kings XI Punjab? Will you still support Royal Challengers Bangalore if Gayle is not a part of the team? Definitely there are a lot of fans who have build likings for certain teams and spend thousands to watch their favourite player playing for their team. But as it is said IPL is an overall combination of glamour, tons of money and cricket which provides a perfect entertainment for the fan. With IPL going bigger and bigger and the cost of tickets also shooting up every season has so far not shown any change in the peoples love for this league as there are still thousands who buy tickets to watch their favourite league team to win or merely entertain them. So has the definition of cricket changed in this country from being a religion to mere entertainer show? I guess we as cricket lovers have a lot to ponder on as to where this game is heading?
-Abhishek Rawat