You ask former India captain and left arm spinner Bishen Singh Bedi about the Indian Premier League and his response is curt: “It’s not cricket”. Well, we all know that it’s a lot more than cricket!
For a start, the IPL has been a tournament dipped in dubiety for multiple reasons over the years—selfish interests, petty politics, big egos, conceit, corruption charges and security reasons have all created chaos and jeopardised the event at various times but the marquee tournament won every time. Even elections in the world’s largest democracy could only test it and not stall it.
The Indian Premier League was born out of resilience and it continues to have that trait. Remember Lalit Modi? The former commissioner of the league, who always kept a confident and smiling face, made us believe that it’s all too easy. The fact, however, is that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which prioritises the IPL ahead of everything else these days, had firmly shut the door on him when he first proposed the idea of the league in 1998—ten years prior to its inception. Now, when the world realised that “living with the virus” is the way forward, the Indian Premier League was quick to find a way.
India’s biggest annual cricket carnival is here and it does put a smile on faces during these difficult days. But still, there are fears and apprehensions. Like most other things, the world of sports is going through a period of reinvention and it remains to be seen, how it comes through the test. Accepting the “new normal” is the key, and adaptation is the buzzword here.
Being comfortable with the ‘bio-bubble’ environment and not letting the pervasive fear of infection dominate their psyche and performances would be a major challenge for the players. Then comes the far from ideal situation of action sans the fans in the stadium. Fans make the stadiums come alive with their fervour and antics, and playing without their presence could be a bit like a rock band performing with no audience! Whether the players will have the same motivation playing in front of empty stands remains to be seen.
Most Indian cricketers would be used to playing domestic matches in the presence of just the fellow players and a handful of officials, but most of them would rue the absence of the spectators in the stadium. Although the absence of fans doesn’t make much of a difference economically, with only 5 per cent of the revenue coming from gate receipt, it does pose a serious challenge to the broadcasters. Deprived of the spectators’ drama, which they cut to every now and then during the telecast, the broadcasters will be forced to improvise and come up with novel ideas to make the coverage attractive and appealing.
The entire tournament this time will be played out in just three stadiums as opposed to the variety of venues when it happens in India. It means that the teams will have to re-work their combinations as they would have been originally formed keeping in mind the Indian conditions. It will be interesting to see how the teams would adjust to the pitches in the UAE, which are likely to get slower as the tournament progresses. It’s also a blessing in disguise for the players as the travel time will be reduced considerably which means there is more time for rest and recovery. Perhaps the hardest part of playing the IPL in India is having to board an airplane every other day and the amount of packing and unpacking a player has to do. So, what can we expect from the teams this time?
Notwithstanding the fact that the Mumbai Indians have won the title four times, the most consistent team in the history of IPL is the Chennai Super Kings. For a team which has three titles and a place in the play off every time, there is no better time for the team to give the people of Chennai a ‘Whistle Podu’ moment than now. The city has been one of the worst-hit by the pandemic. As always, ‘Thala’ Dhoni holds the key and it will be interesting to see how he performs given all the talk about his retirement from international cricket and also in the absence of ‘Chinna thala’ Suresh Raina, his trusted lieutenant. If the par scores aren’t considerably low owing to the slow nature of the pitches, the team would want to dominate a bit more in the powerplay. If the ageing CSK warriors could produce the magic of the past once again, there will be smiles and whistles again in the streets of Teynampet, Triplicane, Adyar and T. Nagar.
Mumbai Indians would be hoping to start better and they would want to get rid of the habit of starting slow and leaving themselves with too much catching up to do in the second half of the tournament. With four titles in the last seven years, MI has been a fabulous team and much of its credit goes to Rohit Sharma, the best captain in the history of IPL in my book. They had a forgettable outing in the UAE in 2014, when a part of the tournament was held there, but they would want to put that behind them. With a strong Indian presence, the Delhi side looks a predominantly ‘Desi’ outfit and with a realistic chance of all top five batsmen being Indians. In slow conditions in the UAE, finger spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel might play a crucial role. With Ricky Ponting as its coach, the Delhi Capitals are in with a chance of making a big impact.
If ever there was an award for the most optimistic fans, the Royal Challengers Bangalore fans would win it hands down. Such has been the faith and support extended by them despite their team failing to win the title even once. RCB needs to go beyond their two main pillars, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and perform as a single unit. Isuru Udana, the Sri Lankan all-rounder, might just be a dark horse given the conditions in the UAE.
You talk Hyderabad and you talk Warner and Bairstow, but much will depend on how Bhuvneshwar Kumar performs. Like in 2016, when Sunrisers Hyderabad became champions, Bhuvi’s bowling will be a key factor determining how far the team will go this time. In spite of having Rashid Khan in its line-up, the team is sure to miss Shakib Al Hasan.
Andre Russell holds the key for the Kolkata Knight Riders, but all eyes will be on Pat Cummins. The history of the tournament suggests that the players with big price tags have failed to live up to the expectations and it will be interesting to see how the Australian pacer manages the pressure of his Rs 15.5 crore billing. If KKR can forge a good partnership between Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan and coach Brendon McCullum, we might hear “korbo, lorbo, jeetbo re” deep into the tournament.
Kings XI Punjab will feel positive about the way the team performed in the UAE in 2014 and the hero of that edition, Glenn Maxwell, is in the mix again. Much will depend on how K.L. Rahul goes about his business, both as captain and as a player, and the presence of Anil Kumble as coach will be a huge plus for the Kings.
Last but not the least, my favourite team of the IPL: Rajasthan Royals. There is something about underdogs in sports that we support them and that’s how it all started 12 years ago. But, by the end of the tournament, it was all about the charisma, leadership and shrewdness of an all-time great of the game. By extracting the best out of some hitherto unknown players, Shane Warne showed to the world that you don’t necessarily need to have big names and big purchases for being successful. He gave the likes of Swapnil Asnodkar and Naman Ojha an address and made a star out of Ravindra Jadeja. Warne was the best captain Australia never had, and the picture of him with a victorious Rajasthan Royals team will always be one of the profound memories of the IPL. With a good overseas contingent and most of them available through the tournament, the Royals will be looking forward to making a real impact this time.
Prodded by necessity, the IPL has managed to find a way again. Despite the odds, many believe that this edition of the IPL will be the biggest ever. Will it be? We shall soon find out. Let’s wish ourselves a safe and an exhilarating season of IPL. We deserve it more than ever before!
