Indian Premiere League: A Boon or a Curse for Future Cricket

Recently, due to the uprising of Covid-19 cases, IPL (Indian Premier League) 2021 was suspended for an undefined period of time. So, here the question arises that was IPL so much necessary in these harsh times when people were gasping for oxygen in India? Now, in this article, we will discuss whether IPL is a curse or boon for the future of the Indian Cricket Team and how it has impacted other formats of the game.

Image By: Wallpaper Cave

The Indian Premier League (IPL), was founded by Indian business and cricket businessman, Lalit Modi, who was then vice-president of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) at that time in 2008. The very next year the IPL was transferred to South Africa because the UPA government could not guarantee security due to the 2009 General Elections. 

After its third publication in 2010, the BCCI suspended Lalit Modi for numerous allegations and controversial allegations that ended in 2013 when the BCCI suspended his plea after a lengthy investigation. He moved to London in 2010 and has been living there ever since. Meanwhile, the IPL has emerged as one of the world's biggest cricket tournaments in terms of billions.

Since its inception, many cricket critics including celebrities and politicians have criticized it as a 'trade' of cricket by buying and selling cricket players around the world, called auction in a limited time, with iconic teams of India, new Indian cricketers, and foreign cricket players according to their 'price'. by their performance or power. 

Due to its ability to spin money and the growing popularity of popcorn cricket players, BCCI accepted the IPL as one of their ‘must’ activities and went the extra mile at some point, appealing to the world. Even in the post-2010 era, the IPL has not ruled out disputes involving match fixes and the like which has led to the banning of franchises or teams from the tournament on a number of occasions. 

However, the IPL grew and grew in importance, as international cricketers also began to trust it because of the money they were trying to earn. National pride and franchise loyalty came to this conflict.

And, from the outset, many cricket managers and veteran cricketers, including elite players, see the IPL as a gateway to young talent - it is unclear whether they simply accept it naturally or because of financial interests. There is no denying that young Indian talent gets a chance in this tournament in terms of recognition and some guaranteed money, but it is worrying that national cricketers are starting to view the IPL as a threshold for selection in Team India despite a variety of domestic cricket tournaments available for decades.

Apparently, competitive cricket is played in the IPL with teams competing for the coveted trophy; however, the momentum created by national pride representing your country in international cricket — can never be compared to IPL club cricket involving multi-national players. The problem is, the rioters began to enjoy the similarities of the IPL as three-hour cricket movies, and the hype is growing over time. We will now consider the situation two to three years ago.

Thanks to the IPL, a sea of ​​‘talent’ opened up in front of national cricketers, and the IPL became an ‘entry test’ in some way to secure a place in the national team. In the two years before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, the Indian team was ‘different’ in almost every game played by them - by any means. In the name of ‘getting the perfect team for the World Cup,’ began a trial process that ended in a never-ending cycle — and often unreasonable and skeptical record players got repeated chances to play for the Indian cricket team. 

The implant syndrome called 'number 4 batsman' was also created to prove this. As part of this process, various ‘lobbies’ also began to form around some talented young cricket players and even cricket guards who joined these. One of the biggest examples was the unique case of the ‘Rishabh Pant’.

It is well known that Rishabh Pant has nothing to show for one-day cricket so far and even when he was not selected for the World Cup team, there has been a lot of national outcry from local protests to social media. on the editorial pages of national newspapers. Perhaps as a result of this 'fury' of India, Shikhar Dhawan was injured in the first half of the 2019 World Cup. What happened? Naturally, the Rishabh Pant was chosen instead of various other ‘established’ options such as Ambati Rayadu, Ajinkya Rahane, and the like. And what did Pant do in the games he played after that? It is very well known by every cricket fan. It was funny to watch the Pandya-Pant team try to win games after three or four wickets down. 

It will be mentioned here that Team India had 3-4 wicket-keepers, 4 including KL Rahul, who plays certain one-day matches at various times. As a dedicated cricket fan for many years, I must say that any team that includes 4 wicket keepers in eleven matches will never aspire to win a major tournament.

With the ICC T20 World Cup-2020, within a year the testing process has begun and the IPL becomes the most important platform to choose from. In the first T20I match against Bangladesh on 3 November 2019 at Delhi. Team India, it did not look like a national team - it was like the IPL franchise.

If such a futile IPL-centric test continues unchecked by Team India alone and millions of fans are expected to suffer a crushing defeat in the inevitable victory without knocking down many other cricket players tested. The essence of IPL is a trade and should be accepted by all stakeholders. Home cricket should regain its lost value. In this context, it is heartening to see the new BCCI President Sourav Ganguly delivering such a promise for a new era of Indian cricket. 

Furthermore, the IPL will continue to be a major asset in terms of money laundering, as well as debt in terms of Team India’s winning strength at the international level. The author had previously expressed the view that any cricketer who excels in Test cricket could easily go through all sorts of game-proved by many famous players. The upcoming launch of the day-night cricket Test and pink football between India and Bangladesh in India this month will definitely boost interest in the classic format.