The PlanetCricket View: Indian Premier League

[PlanetCricket]

Article by swacker -

The IPL is such a freakish tournament on the world cricketing schedule for various reasons. Within India it is gigantic, but outside of India ? especially in the UK ? it seems to have as many critics as supporters. Many see it as a contaminant, feasting away at the fabric of world cricket, while others see it as an influence for good, promoting aggressive cricket across all forms of the game.

One of the unique outlooks of the IPL is how each team becomes a loving pot of the world?s cricketing philosophies, characters and strategy. Lets have Royal Challengers Bangalore as my dressing room as an example. We have a mixture of South African, Australian, New Zealand, Sri Lankan, West Indian and Indian players. Before IPL, this kind of combination could only occur in rare one-off World XI games.

Mixed with a relaxed Chris Gayle, who snoozes sixteen hours a day, the team have the busy, up-and-coming Indian icon Virat Kohli, who doesn?t snooze at all. Some could see this as a source of battle, but in the world of IPL nothing could be further from the truth. The IPL is a tournament that carries much of the world?s cricketing talent together in a six-week eruption of cricket collaboration. It?s obvious that players learn from each other, work out each other?s tricks on how to play certain bowlers, or how to bowl to different batsmen.

It?s an wonderful array of talent and opposing opinions in the changing room, and on display at the grounds. But while the IPL can help a cricketer by opening them up to new experiences, it still remains a source of battle.

Having a look at West Indies spinner Sunil Narine as an example. A player of amazing talent, he took wickets for fun in this year?s IPL.But many would say he must instead have made his Test debut against Australia, rather than taking cash on offer with KKR in the IPL. On one hand, there?s the contract with his IPL franchise, worth $700,000. On the other, a Test debut for his side (for which he might not keep a contract) and a payment of a few thousand dollars. If he chose the other side, the IPL rules mean he?d lose $315,000 of his contract.

Do you take the $700,000, secure your future, and simply delay what appears to be an anticipated debut for an extra few months? It?s a huge decision for a man who is yet to turn 24. The IPL creates many questions to world cricket: some good, some bad, some embarrassing, and some that many boards don?t want to gather. The sooner it can hold its belief and its indelible mark on the game, the sooner it can settle the argument that blights its participants.

Before the IPL, I didn?t know that Murali was the fun-lovin joker, Zaheer the classy wine aficionado, and Kohli the inspired cricketer. While it will always have its detractors, those cynics cannot deny that the IPL has allowed world cricketers to mix beliefs, discuss strategy, and get to know each other on a scale inconceivable before it came into existence. I definitely believe the world of cricket is healthier as a result.





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[sifter132]

Having a look at West Indies spinner Sunil Narine as an example. A player of amazing talent, he took wickets for fun in this year?s IPL.But many would say he must instead have made his Test debut against Australia, rather than taking cash on offer with KKR in the IPL. On one hand, there?s the contract with his IPL franchise, worth $700,000. On the other, a Test debut for his side (for which he might not keep a contract) and a payment of a few thousand dollars. If he chose the other side, the IPL rules mean he?d lose $315,000 of his contract.

Do you take the $700,000, secure your future, and simply delay what appears to be an anticipated debut for an extra few months? It?s a huge decision for a man who is yet to turn 24. The IPL creates many questions to world cricket: some good, some bad, some embarrassing, and some that many boards don?t want to gather. The sooner it can hold its belief and its indelible mark on the game, the sooner it can settle the argument that blights its participants.

I read that Sunil Narine is saying that a Test debut would be a 'dream come true', but honestly, it looks like that dream wasn't worth as much as a few hundred thousand bucks... He could have played Tests vs Australia and vs England, but to now claim that it's been his lifelong dream to play Tests - I hate to say it, but he's full of crap.

That said, if in future Narine chooses Tests over big money at KKR, respect will be regained. Perhaps he just didn't want to gamble on his selection for West Indies and thought KKR was a safer bet.

 

[SaiSrini]

The sooner the IPL window is created, the better it would be for the players and for cricket overall. I dont see any major disadvantages to world cricket if the IPL window is created.

 

[Gaurav_7]

So, that should also mean a window should be created for every other nation's league? BBL, BPL, etc.?

 

[Bevab]

Wow, a window should be created for IPL?!

It anyway has a chance of getting shut in a few years, so why bother about a window?

 

[SaiSrini]

So, that should also mean a window should be created for every other nation's league? BBL, BPL, etc.?

If they are as popular as the IPL all over the world, of course why not?

 

[sifter132]

^IPL is NOT popular all over the world. It's amazing popular in India, but it's popular with PLAYERS all over the world because they get boat loads of money. Ask an Australian on the street who his IPL team is and he'll give you a very blank look.

I don't support a window, mainly because not enough international players get to play in IPL. If they had more teams, or had 5 or 6 internationals per team, you might be able to sell it to me.

Plus, at the moment we are talking of opening a window just to make life easier for 3 players: Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine.

More talk this morning of an international window:
NZ players might miss first Test

Again...there is a perfectly good reason why England can't move that NZ series any later - they have to host the Champions Trophy AND the Ashes in 2013 as well. Creating an international window doesn't ease the schedule, it compresses it by giving nations like England LESS time to schedule all their events.

And again, it's tough luck for just 3 players: McCUllum, Vettori and Taylor. They will get to play most of the IPL anyway. Lot a fuss about nothing I think.

 

[CG123]

The sooner the IPL window is created, the better it would be for the players and for cricket overall. I dont see any major disadvantages to world cricket if the IPL window is created.

Two months of no international cricket, for a league that no one else cares about outside India?

 

[sifter132]

^You've put it so simply but it really does come to the crux of it. A window would help players from England and West Indies to make some money - that's it!

Everything else about having a window is worse...scheduling would get compressed around the window, and there'd be no international cricket for 2 months.

Why can't ICC/IPL get together and maybe give the England and West Indies players some compensation money, rather than letting international cricket suffer.

I'd be interested to know how many people would rather watch their favourite IPL team over their national team.

 

[Phen]

I like that international cricketers get payed a bit of money in the IPL, there we go, I actually came up with something I liked about the IPL.

 

[War]

^IPL is NOT popular all over the world. It's amazing popular in India, but it's popular with PLAYERS all over the world because they get boat loads of money. Ask an Australian on the street who his IPL team is and he'll give you a very blank look.

I don't support a window, mainly because not enough international players get to play in IPL. If they had more teams, or had 5 or 6 internationals per team, you might be able to sell it to me.

Plus, at the moment we are talking of opening a window just to make life easier for 3 players: Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine.

More talk this morning of an international window:
NZ players might miss first Test

Again...there is a perfectly good reason why England can't move that NZ series any later - they have to host the Champions Trophy AND the Ashes in 2013 as well. Creating an international window doesn't ease the schedule, it compresses it by giving nations like England LESS time to schedule all their events.

And again, it's tough luck for just 3 players: McCUllum, Vettori and Taylor. They will get to play most of the IPL anyway. Lot a fuss about nothing I think.

On point like a laser beam mann!

Its easy to argue that IPL should be given a window for the reasons already stated. But the IPL in its current format should not be given a window until it is revamped.

It has too much a local Indian biased and the tournament overall is the biggest example of the crazy power the BCCI has in the word game.

The IPL with its stupid 4-international player restriction devalues the standard of cricket being player amidst all the hype and glamour.

If people care of quality t20 cricket, this would be a major concern and has it stands the world twenty remains the best Twenty20 competition in the world.

The IPL needs to get rid of that rule and turn the tournament into the true cricket version of the English premier league football tournament, where teams are picked on merit, regardless if its 10 indian players or 10 foreign players part of the starting line-up. Do this and everyone would follow the IPL worldwide very attentively.


If the English premier league 20 years ago had forced in restriction on local players playing, it wouldn't be such a special league today.

Some may say rightfully that foreign influx of the premiership has messed up the national football team, but India just have to be smarter and utilize the millions they will still get out of the IPL, if teams are picked on merit to properly develop their youth structures.

Of course this is easier said than done because no-one wants to stand up to the BCCI.

 

[Phen]

On point like a laser beam mann!

Its easy to argue that IPL should be given a window for the reasons already stated. But the IPL in its current format should not be given a window until it is revamped.

It has too much a local Indian biased and the tournament overall is the biggest example of the crazy power the BCCI has in the word game.

The IPL with its stupid 4-international player restriction devalues the standard of cricket being player amidst all the hype and glamour.

If people care of quality t20 cricket, this would be a major concern and has it stands the world twenty remains the best Twenty20 competition in the world.

The IPL needs to get rid of that rule and turn the tournament into the true cricket version of the English premier league football tournament, where teams are picked on merit, regardless if its 10 indian players or 10 foreign players part of the starting line-up. Do this and everyone would follow the IPL worldwide very attentively.


If the English premier league 20 years ago had forced in restriction on local players playing, it wouldn't be such a special league today.

Some may say rightfully that foreign influx of the premiership has messed up the national football team, but India just have to be smarter and utilize the millions they will still get out of the IPL, if teams are picked on merit to properly develop their youth structures.

Of course this is easier said than done because no-one wants to stand up to the BCCI.

Why don't you just watch the same international players and the best Indian players play T20 in international cricket such as the T20 WC?

 

[Aalay]

It has too much a local Indian biased and the tournament overall is the biggest example of the crazy power the BCCI has in the word game.

The IPL with its stupid 4-international player restriction devalues the standard of cricket being player amidst all the hype and glamour.

What are you going on about? It is INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE, so it has to bias toward Indian players. It is meant to help domestic player of India to gain some international level experience by playing with different players from all around the world and learning from them. What is wrong with it?

 

[War]

Why don't you just watch the same international players and the best Indian players play T20 in international cricket such as the T20 WC?

Because the problem with IPL and player restriction rule is that it is low quality t20 cricket is being perpetuated.

In world international football and the major football leagues in the world (epl, serie a, la liga, bundesliga, brazilian league) - the best players are always playing in general, which is how sane world sports are.

What we have in cricket is a corrupt Indian board who due their financial clout, manipulated the poorly organized ICC and created a league to benefit themselves - that is now threatening to mess up international cricket.

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What are you going on about? It is INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE, so it has to bias toward Indian players. It is meant to help domestic player of India to gain some international level experience by playing with different players from all around the world and learning from them. What is wrong with it?

This is problem with it - the indian bias. Such a bias would have never been allowed to be basis of the IPL if the ICC was stronger governing body.

The BCCI bullied the IPL into existence with that foolish rule, because they run the ICC. This is the dynamic that is constantly ignored by many when people speak about the IPL.

A strong ICC would have never allowed that to happen, because the IPL as it stands is comparable to if the rich arabian oil men in football started a league in Dubai 2moro outside the confinements of FIFA and tempted all the world stars (Messi, ronaldo, rooney, neymar, xavi, cavani etc etc) to come and play in dubai, under a similar pretence of trying to aid dubai football players to learn from them - thus messing up world football.

I personally don't see how local talented Indian players who have a future in the indian team (not joke indian players who wouldn't have a future and are just getting money for being default picks in the various ipl teams) wouldn't benefit from playing with the international players.

Plus surely also the BCCI can't be seriously thinking of using the IPL to try and develop the test team who are in decline, improve their grass-roots cricket programmes.

Since playing crash-bang t20 cricket, isn't going to help India's aid india's test fortunes from improving or aiding them in finally finding a way to produce more fast-bowlers that will get them 20 wickets in tests or aid in produce another legendary spin quartet like they had in the 1970s.

 

[rocky_g]

On point like a laser beam mann!

Its easy to argue that IPL should be given a window for the reasons already stated. But the IPL in its current format should not be given a window until it is revamped.

It has too much a local Indian biased and the tournament overall is the biggest example of the crazy power the BCCI has in the word game.

The IPL with its stupid 4-international player restriction devalues the standard of cricket being player amidst all the hype and glamour.

If people care of quality t20 cricket, this would be a major concern and has it stands the world twenty remains the best Twenty20 competition in the world.

The IPL needs to get rid of that rule and turn the tournament into the true cricket version of the English premier league football tournament, where teams are picked on merit, regardless if its 10 indian players or 10 foreign players part of the starting line-up. Do this and everyone would follow the IPL worldwide very attentively.


If the English premier league 20 years ago had forced in restriction on local players playing, it wouldn't be such a special league today.

Some may say rightfully that foreign influx of the premiership has messed up the national football team, but India just have to be smarter and utilize the millions they will still get out of the IPL, if teams are picked on merit to properly develop their youth structures.

Of course this is easier said than done because no-one wants to stand up to the BCCI.

I agree.

IMHO this rule should be reversed. Minimum 4 indian players per team. And i think this will happen in the next couple of seasons.

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What are you going on about? It is INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE, so it has to bias toward Indian players. It is meant to help domestic player of India to gain some international level experience by playing with different players from all around the world and learning from them. What is wrong with it?

To be honest most of the indian players in these teams baring 20-25 top players are rubbish. You will never see them in Indian team. Players like Rajat Bhatia, Laxmi Shukla, Venugopal Rao you want them to gain experience? If they really want to give them international level experience then they should include under 22 players but not oldies and baldies who can't even play for India in their dreams.