Sunday, March 22, 2009

Should the IPL Relocate?

The IPL is moving out of the India.

The INDIAN Premier League will be played in either South Africa, England, or the UAE.

What is wrong about that?

I am a firm believer that the IPL was successful the moment it was thought of. It was bound to change the face of the cricket world.

Its first season pretty much proved that.

But taking the league out of India could prove disastrous.

Maybe not as disastrous as cancelling the 2nd edition, but still is it worth going ahead with a re-scheduled, hastily planned IPL in a foreign country?

I am not too sure.

The charm of IPL's 1st season was that it induced support from Indian regions. The home and away games resulted in fans aligning themselves with their regional teams and turning up at the grounds in large numbers.

In fact, all the matches were sold out. The grounds were full.

Holding the IPL in South Africa will do no harm to television revenues, but how many people in Johannesburg will go to the Wanderers to watch Mumbai vs Delhi?

Again, I am not too sure.

The teams field only 4 international players, and besides Bangalore and Chennai, none have more than one frontline South African.

The franchises are predominantly Indian domestic teams along with a few international stars.

Will they find support among the South African and English public?

I have my doubts.

Make your pitch on this post...



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10 Pitched:

  1. Anonymous said...
     

    its ridiculous to see IPL moving out to either of the 3 countries u mentioned. it basically gives an idea to the world that Indian govt is unable to protect its own shores and election is just an excuse.

    and all this security talk began after 3/3. That makes it more unfortunate. May be some rules will now need to be relaxed. May be most of the players from the host country and 4 foren players including Indians...

    Rather than SA, England is logical choice. More subcontinental population there besides it wud give a feel of pitches for world t20 there to the world champs....

  2. Abdullah said...
     

    yeah Q do u think now with this decision Pak players will be permitted to play.

  3. Q said...
     

    Sam, the election is a huge security risk in itself.. surely they're acting on some sort of intelligence..

    But i think the IPL's charm will be lost if its hosted somewhere else..

  4. Q said...
     

    I believe they should be maza..

  5. Anonymous said...
     

    India have billion plus population and it is not easy to give security to both elections and cricket.We must not compare other countries when it comes to security of this country.

  6. SledgeHammer said...
     

    It's better to have it somewhere else than no IPL at all. But it's hard to imagine true team support for Indian regional teams in SA.

    It comes down to which players you like. Nothing wrong in that. But you won't see things like a Jaipur crowd screaming "Sreesanth hai-hai" after he did his usual antics against the Pakistani Kamran Akmal.

    I still don't have an IPL team I support. I'm open to offers. Surely my support will be much sought after!

  7. Q said...
     

    Sam - I told u they were acting on intelligence..

  8. Q said...
     

    Thats right Sledge...

    I think not having 1 team u support is the beauty of the IPL.. u enjoy all the games and don't really mind who wins or loses.. Last season, I started off as a firm Knight Rider support.. gradually mid tournament I shifted loyalties towards the Daredevils.. and near the end I was firmly behind the Royals..

    This season, I'm leaning towards the Daredevils but it'll be hard not to support Shane Warne!

  9. SledgeHammer said...
     

    @Q: Trying to think of criteria to support a team. What should it be based on. Quality/nationality of individual players? Perceived strength of team (e.g. root for the underdog, or become a bandwagon jumper)? Regional affiliation? Father's roots are in Delhi (lucky no UP team till 2010 at least, so don't have to worry about mom's roots)? Hottie cheerleader?...I'm more of a Preity guy, don't care much for Katrina (yes, shoot me, but I find nothing in her). Shilpa Shetty is not a bad option.

    Complicated stuff!

  10. Q said...
     

    Hmm thats a dilemma Sledge!

    Its always fun to cheer the underdogs - so Bangalore maybe?

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