Indian Premier League: Cricket's Newest Craze Goes to Africa

Finally it is here. This is the second edition of the IPL.

After all the concern over security and the situation in the subcontinent, the IPL finds itself in a country (recently) associated with big cricketing events. Be it the ICC World Cup in 2003 or acme of the newest version of the game, the T20 world cup in 2007, South Africa has set benchmarks in organizing cricketing events.

I do not know the reasons for the new found love of cricket. Maybe it’s the generosity of Cricket South Africa in terms of financial benefit, the state-of-the art infrastructure, or just the people. Whatever it is, the affair of cricket with South Africa is very ironic.

If I was a man of literature, I would have said that Love forgives and forgets. I may not be a man of literature, but I am a man for sure, and I have found the above statement to be true. So as much it is ironic, this love of cricket and South Africa, it is beautiful enough to worth dedicating a book to.

Now for all those of you who think I am a crazy man, talking about random analogies and desperately trying to write an article, consider this; South Africa was banned form international cricket for almost three decades.

For a whole nation to ignore that fact and welcome cricket with open arms is wonderful.

As a cricket team, South Africa, as Harsha Bhogle aptly puts it, “...have been the perpetual semifinalists of International cricket.”

I do not mean to mock the team. Personally I have always had great respect for the side, it is just that they have always thrown up good teams sans luck.

Be it the tragic 22 runs off one ball, the last ball run out, or the “dropped World Cup,” South Africa has always had something going wrong in big tournaments.

Now, as then, there are apprehensions about the IPL being a success.

Last season saw cricket, especially subcontinental cricket, taken to another level. I witnessed the tournament with a bunch of people who had no regards for international cricket, only to see them glued to television sets in the middle of end of semester exams.

What IPL ’08 did was to create a new class of cricket fans. Not the kind that would spend hours in front of the TV watching test matches (like most of us), but the ones that would just come back from work, lay down, watch a game of cricket, have dinner, go to sleep, and then forget all about the game.

The primary concern for me with this year’s edition of the IPL is the crowd.

It is a known fact that the real success behind the IPL was the jam-packed stadiums and sellout crowds for each game. The IPL might have gone to Africa, but it is still a very Indian thing. Yes the international star cast is coming, but the Indian domestic players are the real essence of the teams.

Anybody who even saw a glimpse of last year knows that the passion all through the event was at another level.

The grounds in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Mohali, and Hyderabad were full of people, shouting, singing, bottle banging, trumpet blowing, and having fun.

There are reasons behind that, mainly the "ease of access."

Never before in India had people seen so many games happening in quick succession in the same venue, so the moment one got sold out, people started booking for the next game.

Plus the whole concept of a league in India was virgin, and the masses took to it with ease. The other thing with the idea was that never before had fans in India seen cubs and tigers fight with and against each other at the same time.

The IPL did give great opportunities to players who had been playing on the domestic circuit, constantly knocking on the door for an international place. Many young and seasoned players got recognized—Ashok Dinda, Siddartha Trivedi, Manpreet Goni, and Ravindra Jadeja are just a few examples.

However, this year, with all due respect to the cricket fans in SA, there are concerns over the crowds.

The atmosphere at the grounds cannot be the same. In India, where the actual strength of the crowd easily exceeds the official limit, cricket in any form is a religion and people come to the ground to pay tribute to their Gods.

With the time difference also expected to play the spoil sport, Lalit Modi and his team finds themselves in a fix yet again. For them it is like a new league altogether.

As far as the teams are concerned, the domestic players will take some time to adjust to conditions and perform at their best. Under this situation the onus will come on the already “tired and over worked” international players, both Indian and foreign.

For the teams it is like an immigration of sorts; you leave your dens and set out for a far off land, the solace being the priceless exposure and experience.

The players will gain experience, exposure, and obviously money, and Lalit Modi will add another feather to his cap. Nevertheless, the apprehension about this year's competition remains, as the IPL going to South Africa is almost like Pro 40’s coming to India.

All I wish for as a fan and critic is luck to the IPL and the teams, and also for the IPL, now as then, to surprise all of us.

Vive Le Cricket!