Indian Premiere League- the Game vs The Name

Just when we had started adoring IPL for the quality of matches, the level of professionalism and the precision of organisation, there comes a jolt. A jolt due to a practice, which puts a name at a higher priority over the game. The very concept of icon players in IPL season 1 was brought in to flare the spirit of regionalism and there was of course no harm in it, because its on regional sentiments blended with the love for cricket, the IPL organisers cash on. I suppose IPL matches will do a greater justice to the talent show if the decision of the skipper sis made a function of the on field performance instead of it being made a function of birth and past records.

The furore over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team manager cum Coach Buchanan’s plan to have multiple captains in one team was reasonably justified. But then why was there a furore at all? Because we re averse to change and we are just not ready to experiment or because the West Bengal Icon player Sourav Ganguly was getting sidelined with such an experiment? What pains the most here is the fact that the idea has been turned down even before it getting to field but yes, it has been blown out of proportion by press and media already and has started garnering tough response from the fans across India.

I firmly believe that a player with stature like Sourav Ganguly should hardly get affected by what position he gets to hold in a club level match!!! I read some sites quoting “Ganguly’s wings have been clipped” or for that matter “IPL has no regards for legends”. But is that justified? Whether Ganguly’s being a nominal captain and not a functional captain erase all his records? Will it erase the memories of that Taunton century where Ganguly along with Dravid scripted history against Sri Lanka in a world cup match or for that matter many such memories associated with dada’s peak performances? No right! Then why is this mean claim that a position decided by a foreign coach would demean Ganguly? What definitely matters here is, an innovative idea like having multiple captains in one team, one for toss, one to handle batting while the other looks after bowling attack “COULD” have actually changes the way we perceive the game and the way it has been played all this while.

Had it not been unconventional but convictional captaincy of M.S.Dhoni, India would have continued to languish at an average position of fifth and sixth in a rank table comprising of just seven to eight competent teams. What made him different and so successful was not only his on field performance but an ability to bring positive changes to the game and stand by his decision for getting the change. Results: A hundred percent success, more entertainment, high quality performance and of course a more proud Cricket playing India!!! The changes that Dhoni has brought in has not only contributed to the nation’s success and cricket but has contributed to the Game as a whole.

So the Moral of the story... Let us not mix the stature and fame of Icon players with the demand of current times. The only constant is change and positive changes can only be brought by innovation. Lets try being more innovative than just being fundamentalists! The same goes with change in captain for teams like Deccan chargers of Hyderabad and Royal challengers of Bangalore. Because as true cricket fans we should make sure that IPL not only succeeds in making news but also succeeds in redefining how Cricket is played... And does it sound all that new to a country that had once defined civilization and culture for the whole world???