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A sporting success

Sporting events are remembered by their final moments. In this context, the inaugural edition of the DLF-Indian Premier League could not have asked for a better climax. After two disappointing semifinals, the title clash was endowed with a dramatic last-ball finish. It was a fitting finale to an extremely successful month and a half. The Rajasthan Royals was a worthy winner: the least-expensive franchisee procured a team that, under the magical Shane Warne, evolved into th e best in the tournament. While the IPL’s reception in most places outside the subcontinent was reportedly lukewarm, the Twenty20 tournament captivated attention in India on a scale scarcely seen before. The format’s convenience helped — matches started at prime time, running roughly as long as an Indian movie. But the tournament’s success was established because of three factors: the country’s cricket fans quickly embraced the concept of city-based loyalty, a happening that took even the organisers by surprise; the marquee names approached the tournament earnestly, supplying it with the legitimacy all-star exhibition matches never attain; and several domestic cricketers competed on level terms with their more illustrious international counterparts, allowing the viewer to invest emotionally in their fortunes.

Indeed, the most heartening facet of the IPL was the opportunity it allowed domestic cricketers. The recognition and the riches were welcome; the experience was priceless. For long consigned to second-class status, India’s domestic cricketers were granted a stage to parade their talent and a reference to measure it against. Just as significant was the access they were given to the world’s best cricketing ideas and practices. Ironically the BCCI’s brainchild is an indictment of the way domestic cricket has been administered. The IPL’s success has ensured that world cricket will change, but what that change will constitute is not certain. The fear that Test cricket will lose its pre-eminence is not without reason. For one, the definition of entertainment has been appropriated to privilege a certain type of cricket. For another, the IPL’s lucre will be hard to resist. England’s contracted cricketers, forced to miss the inaugural edition, let their disappointment be known. Australian captain Ricky Ponting has cautioned that international careers will be shortened by premature retirements. Young cricketers could conceivably devote their energies to the game’s shortest format, choosing to ignore Test cricket altogether. With other countries expressing the desire to conduct similar leagues, the ICC, the game’s governing body, will need to handle matters with a vision it has not always displayed.

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