The inaugural IPL took the cricketing world by storm. We witnessed huge crowds, frenzied media attention, frenetic action, high-flying franchisees – the works. The second edition was a success as well. But will it really work in the long run?
To my mind, there is something jarring in this whole big business. Something not quite cricket. And that is – the corporatisation of the game.
Cricket cannot be a business take-over – where the tycoon expects profitable returns – instant or long-term.
Or, where – to quote Peter Roebuck – “Owners fork out a fortune for players and expect them to perform”. Cricketers are not performing monkeys. Nor are they pawns in the hands of big businessmen. Cricketers cannot be bought and sold or hired and fired.
Cricket is a sport. And, albeit it is a professional sport, sportsmen, cannot be expected to produce results at the drop of a sales promotion drive; or as a result of target setting.
There are so many variables and imponderables in a game like cricket, that one cannot even begin comparing it with a well-planned, brilliantly managed business venture.
There is a school of thought which feels cricketers have to be accountable – just as any other professional is, to his company. Perhaps this is why stalwarts, whose dedication, talent, and work-ethics are legendary, are not given the respect they deserve and command? Does any IPL franchisee CEO know the worth of a cricketer? And I am not measuring value in terms of lucre, or marketing returns.
Cricket is a team game, where results depend not only on the skill and professionalism of a player and the team, but rest on a mix of so many factors, and on innumerable uncertainties,
There are many ifs and buts – what if Rahul Dravid was not bowled out by that Ganguly delivery in that crucial IPL game at Eden Gardens in 2008? What if Sanath Jayasuriya had whipped the bails off, in another close encounter?
As Sunny Gavaskar always points out, a batsman has the luxury of making only one mistake! Whereas, in other sports, a player can always come back.
In football, for example, a striker, even though dependant on a team-mate’s passing skills, has enough chances to achieve the goals.
One may train, strategise, plot and study all aspects of the game as much as one wishes. But in the end, especially in a such a shortened version of the game, it all boils down to what happens on the given day.
A brilliant catch, a freak dismissal, an inspired spell of bowling, a runaway innings, a two-paced pitch, or a captains gut feeling, can lead to fortunes changing in a twinkling of an eye.
As Harsha Bhogle so aptly puts it: “Sport is unscripted drama”.
Sure, every professional sportsperson is expected to play to his potential, to give of his best. No player likes to lose. But no sportsperson, however great, can be expected to perform in every situation.
Or, more to the point, be obliged to bear the burden of filling the coffers or pandering to the pride of egoistical, money-spinning owners, or Boards.
And, while sport may be about playing to win, it is also about supporting a player or a team when they lose. Of continuing faith and belief when the chips are down. It is abhorrent to question the commitment, integrity and ability of the greats of the game.
Why do we watch sport? For the contest between individuals and teams; for the awe and admiration of a player’s skills, temperament and strength of character; for the sheer joy and beauty that sport brings. For the suspense and thrills that captivates a sports lover.
Sport is entertainment – it is a bond between the follower and the player, and the corporatisation of cricket will destroy that enjoyment.
Whether it is a Vijay Mallya going public with his opinions without warrant, or a Mukesh Ambani keeping his own counsel, or a Shah Rukh Khan or Preity Zinta playing up to their coaches or fans, the fact remains that franchisee cricket creates frantic owners. Which is not good for the game.
With apologies to CLR James, “What do they know of cricket who only cricket don’t know”.
Therefore, to link performance with pay is a frightening thought and robs the sport of its pristine charm and glory. It defies all logic and will kill the game of cricket.
There is no betting on a certainty in any sport, especially in cricket. Even the Aussies, as professional an outfit as they are, cannot plan for all eventualities. (Witness 2001 in Eden Gardens; 2005 and 2009 Ashes losses in England; their Twenty20 World Cup exit; or CB series defeat to India.)
Not for nothing is cricket a game of glorious uncertainties. Long may it remain so, and long may the captain call the shots.
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