When the IPL was put together, the last thing the administrators, franchisees, players, media or fans expected was that it would become another touring circus, much like those Dara Singh wrestling bouts of the distant past. Of course, the world has moved along since those days and a modern avatar of those wrestling shows, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF — renamed the World WrestlingEntertainment ) has taken root and these staged shows are televised to a world-wide audience from
studio floors in the United States of America.
The WWE is pure drama and the product of the marketing genius of wrestling entertainment moghul American Vince McMahon. Each episode of WWE follows a script where there is a storyline complete with twists and turns. The wrestlers, commentators, presenters, referees and judges, all play their part in the act and only the most gullible of viewers believe what they see on the screen is the real thing.
The WWE, in fact, is complete with statistics, form book, roll of honour, hall of fame, websites, photocards, etc. It is produced with such amazing slickness, ‘season’ after ‘season’ and year after year that it continues to enjoy good television ratings.
And each season, McMahon adds new features and tag lines, from diva wrestling to scantily clad cheerleaders, to fresh wrestlers, teams, etc. So much so that at times it looks like the IPL is a painful copy of that glossy American production that some erroneously mistake for wrestling.
While some of the cricket’s biggest names, like Kapil Dev, for instance, believe that the IPL is headed the WWE way, there are many other legends eagerly stuffing their mouth with the goodies that this three-letter acronym has brought their way. Their mouth is so full and their hands so busy stuffing more goodies into their mouth that they cannot speak out what is becoming painfully obvious:the kitsch has destroyed credibility.
The much-maligned Lalit Modi, who improvised on ICL’s format to come up with the franchise-based IPL, was perhaps the only one who knew where the IPL was headed.But after three years of spectacular success which culminated in him being charged with a variety of misdemeanours and being on the run abroad, the IPL finds itself shorn of much of its charm.
The problems arose as soon as the third season came to an end. The man at the centre of it was N Srinivasan, someone who wears so many hats, secretary of BCCI, president of TNCA, president-elect of BCCI, member of IPL governing council, co-owner of the Chennai Super Kings, etc.The other franchise owners were upset with Srinivasan sitting on the BCCI table while the auction was in progress. Many saw it as a conflict of interest.
The buzz was that he almost single-handedly rammed in the player retention clause when, besides CSK and Mumbai, all other franchises were against it. Further, he was in the group that set the norms for the auction, decided which player would go in which category, and when each name would come up for auction.
It was believed that as a team owner, he could in advance plan the CSK strategy, and tailor the auction process to suit his team. Mumbai Indians were so incensed with this that they reportedly demanded for meeting minutes, agenda, list of attendees, etc.
Earlier, there was a disdainful mess when two franchises, Rajasthan Royals and King’s XI Punjab, were thrown out of the IPL by the BCCI. They went to court and were reinstated. This now landed the BCCI in a spot of bother, as including the two new franchises, Pune and Kochi, they were saddled with 10 teams. The BCCI became unsure of the format, the number of matches, the dates and it was increasingly being felt that they were groping in the dark.
Amidst this, they got into a confrontation with IMG and a couple of other service providers, including members of their own IPL governing council.
The surprise was that they sorted the mess to the extent they did. But the IPL was never the same again, at least not in the fourth year.
This was soon reflected in plummeting television ratings as also in indifferent attendances in matches not hosted in Mumbai and Bangalore. The franchises of these two cities used novel ways and means to draw in the crowds, but elsewhere, in Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, the crowds have been disappointing.
The quality of cricket too has been terrible, especially when viewed immediately after a high-quality event like the cricket World Cup. The fielding, by comparison, has been pathetic. To add to the dismal fielding, the artificial small outfields in the IPL have made a mockery of the game. Mishits are flying off for sixes and are being embarrassingly eulogised by handpicked, non-discerning commentators.
But the judicious public is not fooled. They see for themselves the numerous television replays and cannot stomach the insincere, dishonest praise for poor cricket and are appalled at how like WWE commentary this IPL hype sounds. No wonder many have chosen to simply switch off their television sets!
Indeed for many, the various IPL controversies, from auctions, to additional teams, to teams’ expulsion and re-induction, to governing council flip-flops, to player controversies, to Sri Lankan players, to the Shane Warne fracas, to cheerleader blogs and expulsion, all reads and sounds too much like a WWE script line.
Now, if only the Vince McMahon of IPL would take a bow!
Source : www.dnaindia.com
