IPL Makes No News, Can Mum Make a Difference to CA Fortunes?

The news channels have been handed a respite, with a 30 day extension (or notice) to the Kochi franchisee.

Kings XI Punjab will join the Rajasthan Royals by filing a petition against the BCCI for terminating their franchise.

The Royals are embroiled in a court hearing that will happen after the Diwali vacation.

Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the press for subjecting him to what he calls a “trial by media” and said, “In the eyes of the Indian media you are guilty till you are proved innocent”.

One man happy with the IPL ---specifically the Chennai Super Kings--- is former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming. The New Zealander has renewed his contract with the current IPL champions for another three years. Fleming guided CSK to the IPL trophy and the Champions League title.

In related news, Cricket Australia will be targeting women and children as demographics that will be crucial for the success of the Big Bash down under.

The move is a reaction to a study that details that television audiences have plummeted by 24 percent in the past ten years coinciding with a sharp dip in cricketers once they pass 13 years, and a drop in female interest.

Cricket has traditionally been a male bastion. Twice as many males attend a game as against females. The Sydney Morning Herald in its story “Mum the word in drive to lure in new generation of cricketers” described this trend.

“The real powerbrokers of Australian sports are mothers – and the wise heads across the sporting landscape know this. Women are the decision-makers, the people who overwhelmingly determine which sports the children in the household play. If mum doesn't want little Johnny standing out in the sun all morning, it probably won't happen. If mum thinks cricket takes up too much time, is boring, expensive, old-fashioned or not as good for the child's health as, say, soccer or AFL, there's a pretty good chance little Johnny won't be sending googlies down the astro-turf pitch at the park each Saturday.

But if mum thinks cricket's kind of fun, exciting, fast-paced and won't take up too much time on the weekend – and she doesn't mind going to a game or two at the SCG each summer – maybe she won't mind spending a few hundred dollars on a bat, pads and whites for little Johnny.”

Can the Australian cricket body make a difference? Is T20 the panacea to all their ills?

The Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) have been the major beneficiaries of the declining fascination with cricket.

The Big Bash League is Cricket Australia’s best bet for getting out of the red and into the black.

Quote Of The Day:

What happens if a big asteroid hits Earth? Judging from realistic simulations involving a sledge hammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will be pretty bad.

Dave Barry