IPL'09- An Unmedicated Disaster

So, the long wait (mine, ofcourse) is over and here I am with my first one ...........

I have been pondering over the theme of my blog for too long and I never get it how cricket escaped my mind everytime. Probably  it was waiting for the right time and what could be a more appropriate occassion than during the biggest cricket carnival of all(believe me , it has got to be bigger than the world cup), the IPL.Yes, the IPL has arrived again only this time with a mere 'meow' rather than a 'roar'........ 

First of all let us do a flashback.......

In 2008 IPL was a big hit and why not,it was the first time the most enthusiastic and sentimental cricket lovers were experiencing the shorter version of the game in their own country. The hype was tremendous and the event was spiced up with some tantrums of our own cricketers. The Priety Zinta hugs, the Bhajji slap and his spat with Andrew Symonds had lots of buyers.The concept of cheer leading with 'mischief gals' dancing to every hit across the boundary lent some extra spice to the event.  To add to the flavour the "underdogs" Rajasthan Royals against all expectations won the trophy to lend a perfect climax to the actionpacked 45 days.

Coming back to the present....

The carnival has now shifted to South Africa(thanks to a bigger carnival going on in India filled with a lot more drama and action), the place which immortalised twenty-20 in India after the triumph of Dhoni's men over the archrivals Pakistan in the world cup. The game has started and as feared IPL seems to be a flop this season after first few games itself . It has been marred by one-sided encounters and the wrath of rain Gods. Already two matches have been decided on D/L method(which according to me is the worst method to decide the fate of a match), with Punjab on the recieving end of both and to add to the misery one match has been already cancelled. 

The fate of the event suggests why FIFA should not take any lessons from IPL organisers. Four consecutive matches are being played on pitches which have been prepared in a jiffy leading to an exponential decrease in runs every match.Like last year there has been no heroics from any rookie because of lack of experiences with such alien conditions.This IPL will also miss its fare share of controversies with no Andrew Symonds this time to incite Harbhajan Singh into doing something unusual. The media hype surrounding the cricketers is also missing.

On the flipside, holding IPL in South Africa has helped it reach people beyond the boundaries of the subcontinent. The domestic players are learning to get acclimatised to the unfamiliar conditions.  The first few matches have also seen the veterans coming into fray. Dravid, Kumble, Sachin and Warne have shown that age is no factor when you have the enthusiasm and the hunger to perform. They have hit back at "experts" who feel they are too "aged" to play twenty-20 cricket. I don't understand why these people can't understand that age is just a useless figure which can't be used as a benchmark to measure any individual's usefulness. These are some positives which I am counting on in this IPL. Hoping that the event will reach at least half the heights it had reached the last time I come to the end of my first blogpost.

P.S- Hip Hip Hurray!!! for Delhi..... they are gonna win this time...

P.P.S-Any reference to God in my further posts will refer to Sachin....