“IPL is not FLAWLESS”

“IPL is not FLAWLESS”

 The buzz around IPL is so much that people can’t help talking about it, no matter how much they know about IPL & the game itself. People say IPL has come in to limelight not due to some good cricketing action, not because of the on field performances but due to the controversies off the field, because of all the non cricketing reasons.

People who criticize it by saying this are found discussing about the IPL parties, SRK brawl, spot fixing allegations & what not?? I mean I know these issues need to be addressed, but not for the sake of TRP & some cheap publicity but for the betterment of the game, for having clean & clear transactions, for the benefit of government, for keeping our nation’s image clean as ever, for the diehard fans & for the players participating in it. 

 After the exciting play off match between Delhi Daredevils & Kolkata Knight Riders last night, critics are not in the mood to discuss about the game but are more interested in asking questions like, “KKR sure deserved the victory last night but what was SRK’s contribution in the same?” I mean common guys, grow up, cheer for the team you love, if you don’t follow any team be happy that you got to see a good match. In the end better side won, had Delhi come out as a winner yesterday, would anyone have asked the same question?

 When a team wins, it’s not just about the team’s on field performance but there are many people working towards their success off the field too. The supporting staff, the coaches, the physio, the sports psychologist & last but not the least the franchisee owner. He is the one who invests huge amount of money, though he is not giving it away for charity it’s important to invest it at the right place & time. He ropes in, if not the best players in the world then at least the best or the perfect combination of the players who can get along well as a team & bring out consistently best results for the team. I think selecting the best combination is a foundation of a good team & in turn of victory. No owner is supposed to win matches on the field. So irrespective of who the owner is, the owner sure contributes in his own way in building a team that performs well for him. After all he/she is into the business to earn money & won’t bet on paper tigers.

The point here is not just about the franchisee owners but the point is whether IPL has become famous for the wrong reasons only or are we actually keen on finding the wrong reasons to discuss? We could have talked about Warner falling for a bad decision, Sunil Naraine’s awesome spell, Yusuf & Shulka’s late firing, Balaji’s excellent 3^rd over, Yusuf’s dropped catch going for a six, Gambhir’s captaincy, Sehwag’s early wicket, Irfan Pathan’s injury but we won’t. We will ask what was SRK’s contribution in the victory?

We will discuss about Pomersbach’s bad behavior & will blame IPL & the whole cricketing fraternity for it. We conveniently forget that he did not do it because he’s an IPL player but because of his rotten mentality. He would have done the same had he been an engineer, accountant or for that matter any ordinary man. The challenge here is to fight against the mentality & not against IPL.

While we express our discomfort towards film stars owning a team, players being bought in a bid, exorbitant amount being paid to an ordinary player we shower praises over BPL/EPL where the procedure is in practice since years.

Criticizing cricket, cricketers & everything/everyone associated with the game is the latest fashion, rather FAD. They blame cricket for the sad state of other games in India. The critics are in a wrong impression that such a criticism would make them intellectuals in the eyes of the common man.

Those who get involved in such a criticism are not seen doing anything for promotion &/or development of other (desi) sports. They just talk about other sports with the sole aim of criticizing cricket. But they conveniently forget that in the course of action they actually are insulting other sports by doing the undue comparison with cricket. Every sport & sportsman should be treated equal.

 IPL & in turn cricket should not be given any special treatment, any discounts on the tax part. It should come under the tax bracket, rather more tax should be levied on it. It must be ensured that no FEMA or for that matter not even any other regulations are violated. The players involved should be given strict guidelines, which they must follow while they are in India. Stern action should be taken in case of violation of any guideline, rule & regulation, may it be by a player, a team, a franchisee or even BCCI.

It’s our responsibility to promote other games, we should inculcate in our kids the importance &/or interest of other sports. People need to understand that if we want to improve the state of other sports then we must stop criticizing cricket first because, by criticizing it we keep it more & more in the news & you know any publicity however good or bad it may be is a welcome now a days. “Badnaam huye toh kya naam toh hua”

Despite of all the allegations IPL keeps entertaining us & I don’t say there are no flaws. There must be, rather there are but the governing council should try & rectify those. Maligning the game or criticizing it by all the possible means is not going to help improve the sad state of affairs of other sports. While the people love famous things/celebs/events, they develop envy for them & the media ensures the rest by cultivating the ENVY rather than corroborating the right side & bringing out the truth. When a finger is injured we treat it & don’t cut it to get rid of the injury.

“IPL is not FLAWLESS but the issues associated with it are not just because it’s IPL.”

Kay. P. Rudrake.

(23^rd May 2012)