India Premiere league (IPL): a cricketing game changer The game of cricket conjures up images and memories of childhood
frolic as also amateur spirit of competition and camaraderie among most lovers of the game in cricket-obsessed nations such as India. Cricket, as its players, is part of folklore among cricketing nations, where sportspersons are nothing less than demigods and are worshipped by the masses, either for their maverick talent, mercurial personalities or measured steadfastness in the game. While the game, a legacy of a relaxed and leisurely British colonial era is revered for its skill and adeptness, it has long lost its cherished perception as a national pastime: the game has grown to become fiercely professional and internationally competitive that involves high commercial stakes of financiers who spend heavily on bidding for the franchise to sponsor participating team, and even at times, cricket sportspersons. Officially sanctioned by the Indian Cricket Control Board as well as other regulatory cricketing boards of other participating countries, IPL features eight franchises based in India. The IPL sporting franchise, the matches for current round of the tournament, which began on April 4, 2012 with venues across various stadia in India, are owned by celebrities, business tycoons and media conglomerates. The Mumbai franchise alone costs a US$112 million to its owners. Players, in turn, are richly rewarded with fortunes earned on the cricket pitch in exchange for showcasing the sporting event that is broadcast across global television channels via satellite TVthe sale of television broadcasting rights for a period of 10 years is worth over US$ 1 billion for an extravaganza that lasts for one cricketing season comprised of sixteen games. This is crickets essential paradoxan international sport that is not actually global. This contrasts sharply with football. Professional football players, the FIFA as well as billions of fans across the globe aspire to either play, promote or watch the greats play club football in Europe with stakeholders competing to raise the stakes for the game, the sport and for the players, whose financial incentives are legendary. Consider the status of IPL and its debatable impact on the epitome of the highest form of the gameinternational test cricket. Some players aspire to represent their country for its intrinsic pride. But it is hard to separate that mechanism from the highly lucrative stakes that IPL cricket offers in terms of windfall financial gains for players and teams. What these incentives now mean is that players will walk away from the international game at earlier in their professional careers. Adam Gilchrist is the prototypical example of this phenomenon. The player did not walk away from the game because he was underperforming as a player, but because of the lure of the sponsorship deal. While there is little to refute that the IPL franchise has raised the bar for the sport and has infuse a strong element of professionalism in the game, it has negatively impact on the future of international test cricket. The indications appear to be pointing to a growing indifference among star players to represent nations internationally. Few decades ago, when cricket did not have many sponsors, the only thing players did on the field
was to play for their country with pride and honor. Cricket has become more commercialized and adding icing on the cake is the introduction of IPL by the BCCI. IPL (Indian Premier League) is the flagship of the BCCI and is basically for domestic cricket. Here, the players from different countries have been invited and a contract has been signed. A Sport is associated with the talent of the players, and not with the money associated with it. Cricket is considered to be a viable career option as opined by a celebrity, in a daily newspaper, recently. I read it and felt it to be a right observation. Till few years ago, in India, most of the responsible parents and the guardians took sports as a whole to be a pass time. For them it was a pleasure to watch and allowed children to play whatever they like to, during free time, just for relaxation, fun and health. The sports scenario has definitely changed in India. Thanks to all the cricket celebrities along with our other sports personalities such as Abhinav Bindra (shooting), Sania Mirza (tennis), Saina Nehwal (badminton) and a huge list of sports personalities to follow. Still, there is a whooping difference between cricket and other sports. Cricket brings in instant stardom. It provides name and fame within a very short time. The preference for cricket has multiplied by many folds in the last four years quite significantly. The full credit goes to the cricket tournament started in 2008 in India named Indian Premier League popularly known as IPL Vasudev Kittur Senior officerThe Times of India,Bangalore Executive PGDM students
