Indian Premier League, the premier competition in the world of cricket, came into existence in 2008. It has been 14 years since it was launched. More than a 1000 games have been played. Yet, what has Indian cricket gained out of it? That is a pertinent question that needs to be asked. 14 years is long enough to expect some sort of return. Being the richest league and the players paid so handsomely, every Indian supporter must ask this question. IPL must prove its worth.
How many ICC tournaments have India won ever since the IPL was first inaugurated? The 2011 ODI World Cup comes to mind. However, was it because of IPL? Certainly not. It was not won by the IPL generation. Rather by a generation for whom IPL helped in making their lives secured during the latter part of their careers. Yuvaraj Singh or Sehwag or Dhoni or Tendulkar did not belong to the IPL generation. Hence, 2011 win cannot be because of IPL. If that is the case, has India won any other ICC tournament after that win? The answer is negative. They have played in 8 tournaments and except for one, failed to reach the finals in the rest. The fact of the matter is that, IPL has barely played a part in the improvement of Indian cricket.
Let us take the case of approach
India is still following the dated approach of batting slowly during the initial overs. T20 inherently is an aggressive brand of cricket. Right from the outset, the batsmen are expected to score quickly. Despite playing in the IPL for 14 years, Indian have not yet grasped this crucial point. Moreover, pitches all over the world are pretty flat for ODI and T20. Field restrictions and 2 new balls at either end have negated reverse swing despite the fact that the white ball hardly swings. As a result, tall scores have become the norm. A run rate of 6.5 is the minimum required.
Indian batsmen, because of their timid approach often fall way too short of this target. The recent semi-final against England being a case in point. It is a miracle that they still manage to win lot more than they lose but the fact is that they lose all the important games. Semi-finals, finals. IPL with their galaxy of international stars and coaches failed to drive this point in the heads of the Indian cricketers.
Let us take the case of personnel
Surya Yadav is the only true product of IPL. He is a proper T20 cricketer. However, after all these years, if the league is able to produce just one cricketer for the country, questions must be asked. Everyone else who plays T20 for India are all proper long format players. Rohit, Rahul, Kohli, Shami and the list goes on and on.
Dale Steyn, a few months ago, correctly pointed out that IPL is more of how much money a player makes. In other words, it is not about quality of the cricket but the money. Just Google IPL and the first few pages will be filled with revenue and other money related news items.
IPL is just like EPL
IPL is exactly like the EPL, the English Premier League. Infact, when the IPL was conceptualised, the board designed it along the lines of EPL. Invite the best players from around the world, pay them a hefty sum of money and sit back quietly. How has it helped English football? In close to 100 years of Football’s premier competition, England have won just one World Cup and almost 60 years ago at that. It is clear that EPL has not served the English football side any better than IPL has served the Indian cricket team.
Wrapping up IPL must prove its worth
If India fails to win one World Cup in the next couple of years, it is time to restrict IPL within a month. Reduce the purse of every franchise by half and concentrate on quality.