The great Indian entertainment circus is upon us again, creating euphoric waves in the media industry and the public alike. The Indian Premier League is now the most significant event in the sporting calendar of the country and even of the cricketing world. So acceptable and strong is its presence that unlike in its formative years when one could be critical of its residual effect on the game, to do so now would invite howls of outrage and derision.
The IPL brand has such a strong hold on our imagination that it gets preference over even the World Cup in the collective wisdom of broadcasters and sponsors, which include the team owners. They would rather have the Indian players exhaust themselves while fighting for their franchise’s honour than preserve themselves for the World Cup that follows this year’s IPL.
The players, in this battle between prioritising country over club, seem to have little choice. They have been paid a fortune to serve their club teams and can in no way cite World Cup as an “excuse” to lighten their workload in the IPL.
Indian captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri did raise concerns that the gruelling IPL schedule could adversely effect the players and therefore suggested a “go slow” policy for them. It was suggested that the fitness levels and how much workload a player should take be monitored so that they don’t burn themselves out by the time the World Cup begins.
Whether this suggestion has been taken seriously or not, no one is aware of. The BCCI or its warring administrators have not made any public statement on this issue, leaving the players to fend for themselves. The franchises have chosen silence to be the most prudent form of skirting this genuine concern of the team management. It is easier to walk into the playing field wearing army camouflage hats to show solidarity with the Indian army than to risk IPL for the sake of India’s World Cup campaign.
To refresh our memory, which is bound to get jaded with the flood of entertainment goodies on offer at the press of a button on our smartphones, try to remember the 2011 IPL and its disastrous hangover. India toured England immediately after the IPL got over in May with a team carrying injuries, jaded to the core and no appetite for the game left any more. No wonder Dhoni and his men were walloped as no Indian team had ever been before.
Unlike now, in 2011 the World Cup preceded the IPL. Small mercy this, as it is very much possible that had reverse been the case, India may not have won one-day cricket’s biggest trophy for the second time. At that time the debate did take place that should the players go easy on IPL as they had gone through a gruelling season, capping it with a great World Cup Win? Even though many of the players were carrying niggles they carried on playing in the IPL, which compromised India’s performance in England.
This year, the World Cup follows the IPL and already the Indian players have played so much cricket that they look jaded and tired. It showed in their performance against Australia at home recently. Now to expect them to plunge with heart and soul into IPL and play with enthusiasm and hunger in the World Cup would be unrealistic. But who cares as India can afford to derail its World Cup chances, as nothing should affect its pride, the brand IPL.