2016 has been the year of T20s thus far. The shortest form of the game has caught the fancy of the world for quite some time now, but this year the format really seems to have exploded on the world scene. And not surprisingly, it is the Indian team which has been playing it the most.
At the end of the recently concluded ICC World T20, India had played as many as 16 T20Is this year. They started with a 3-match T20 series against Australia in their own den and then came back to India to play another 3-match T20 series against Sri Lanka. They then moved to Bangladesh to participate in the Asia Cup T20 and then returned to the country to take part in the World T20.
The Indian players have hardly had any breathing time after the exhausting event and now they plunge straight into the razzmatazz of the Indian Premiere League (IPL). The marquee T20 tournament will last for a staggering 50 days! The fatigue it may cause to the players is one issue, but what about the viewers?
Are they ready to lap up another T20 event after back to back T20 tournaments? So is there a possibility, then, that the audience might be exhausted with the recent T20 overkill and might not take in kindly to the IPL this year?
The Aftereffects of the 2011 World Cup a Case in Point?
One would do well to remember the aftereffects of the 2011 World Cup on the IPL that year. The Indian team had just completed a magnificent victory - clinching the 50-over World Cup after 28 long years- and, after only 3-4 days - not even getting to savour their triumph - went straight into the IPL. The fans, already exhausted after an emotionally draining event, could not find the enthusiasm for the competition and, as a result, the IPL suffered badly that year. A lot of empty stands greeted the first few games and even the television viewers did not take to the matches very keenly.
Will this year’s IPL too suffer the same fate, given that the World T20 has just concluded; and in the same country where the tournament is to be played? Only time will tell.
Things Have Changed Reasonably Now
While it is true that the IPL 2011 had
suffered because of the World Cup prior to it, one also has to understand the rationale
behind it properly. In 2011, the IPL was merely three years old and the
franchises and their followers were still finding their way around it.
Moreover, the 50-over World Cup was overwhelming and saturating for the Indian
cricket fan that year. Hence, what followed wasn’t entirely surprising.
Things, however, have changed reasonably now. The IPL has found its footing and has established loyal fan bases across the country. Moreover, India didn’t end up winning the World T20 this time. So that might actually work in favour of the IPL as fans could be hungry to see their favourite players performing for their respective franchises.
IPL’s Appeal is Very Distinct Today
More than anything else, it is quite clear that the IPL now has a very distinct flavor to it. For Indians, it is not just a T20 league, it is wholesome family entertainment.
The summer months can be cruel and the IPL provides that much needed relief; akin to drinking a cool mango shake in the sweltering heat. Add the Bollywood glitz and glamour to it and what we get is a well-packaged four-hour summer entertainment for Indian families.
Furthermore, unlike the international cricket matches, the IPL gives the audience an opportunity to witness the best of the players of different nationalities playing for the same team. That in itself is the tournament’s biggest selling point. Although the country did experience the whole gamut of the world’s superstars in the recent World T20, but seeing many bigwigs playing for the same team and fighting it out - often against their own national mates - is something which never ceases to thrill.
This year too would be no different. To see a Chris Gayle and AB De Villiers raining blows together or a Dale Steyn and Ravindra Jadeja bowling in tandem is what would be keenly anticipated. Then there are the young Indian stars – like Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer from last year’s edition – that are likely to leap up through the course of the tournament and would be looked forward to. There are also two brand new teams – one headed by India’s limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the other by Suresh Raina – who have added a little more colour to the championship.
In Conclusion
While the IPL is likely to suffer from the recent T20 overkill in its initial stages - fans might take a little while to get back into the groove of cricket again – it is sure to make up for it as the tournament moves along.
The heady brand of entertainment that the IPL provides and the loyalty the franchises have acquired over the years is quite durable now and is unlikely to be wavered. If the tournament remains bereft of unnecessary controversies this year and can produce high quality cricket, then it would have taken a big step towards establishing itself as a reputable cricket league.
(The author is an editor-cum-project manager at Chiaroscuro Publishing and contributing editor at Cricket Today Magazine)
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