Will IPL Survive?

Well it’s a difficult question to answer, isn’t it? The Indian Premiere League (IPL) has come up with a bang. Everyone in the Cricket World, especially in India, is talking about IPL, the Indian Premiere League. How long IPL will survive? Let’s have a look at the top pros and cons of the Indian Premiere League on Indian Cricket, Asian Cricket, and International Cricket:

IPL Pros:

IPL generates money: The IPL is a unique platform where every cricket player, international or local Indian cricket players, can earn billions of dollars for a single season. No other cricket league provides such huge revenues for cricketers like the IPL does.

IPL as platform for Young Indian Cricketers: The IPL is providing a great platform for the local, upcoming Indian Cricket players. These youngsters have the wonderful opportunity to play with stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist, Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Sangakara, Shane Warne, Brett Lee… and the list goes on and on. IPL also provides a huge opportunity for the youngsters to get exposure, get experience to play under pressure and of course, earn a lot of money.

IPL Has Glamour: The Indian Premiere League not only provides money, but it has all the glamour from the Indian Film Industry the Bollywood. Hot Indian Actress like Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty, Katrina Kaif, etc. are always present in the ground to support their teams at the IPL. The King Khan, Shahrukh Khan is one of the most active owners of the IPL Franchises. All this adds a lot of glamour to the IPL.

IPL Brings the Cricketing World Closer: Yes, it’s only the IPL where all the Cricket legends display their skills. Graeme Smith South Africa partners with Shane Watson of Australia. The IPL has brought the cricketing nations and players closer.

IPL Cons:

IPL is Not the Real Cricket: Well, the IPL, despite all its hype, glamour, and money, is considered as ‘The Circus In the Garb of the Cricket”. Many Cricket greats do not consider Twenty20 or T20 as Real Cricket. And the Indian Premiere League (IPL) has taken the Twenty20 (T20) to new heights. But critics say Indian Premiere League is more about Fun, Entertainment, Business, Money, Glamour, Bollywood, etc. But it contains too little of Cricket!

IPL Taking the Youth Away From Test/ODI Cricket: Indian Premiere League is presenting the Twenty20 (T20) with so much fun, exposure and involves too much money that the young Indian Cricketers are bound to prepare for the Twent20 (T20) Cricket instead of going for a Test Cricket or ODI Cricketer. After all, Indian Premiere League (IPL) provides them with the short-cut to success, money and fame!

IPL overshadowing other sports: There are many sport events going on in India. However, the Indian Premiere League (IPL) is having negative impact on other sports. One of the top sportswoman in India, P T Usha says “Those who invested money in the IPL look for profits. The players will never feel that they are representing the country. If I invest my money, I will surely look for ways to recover the investment,” Usha said.

“The love for sports gets lost,” she added. Another athlete, Shiny Wilson says, “Almost all kids play cricket. Even volleyball courts are used for playing cricket. IPL will have a negative impact on other sports.”

She said further, “It is very difficult to get crowds to watch even the Santosh Trophy football tournament. IPL is just business and not sport.”

IPL Destroying International Cricket: One view is that Indian Premiere League (IPL) is damaging the International Cricket. The supporters of this view maintain that star cricketers like Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shane Bond, etc. have quit the International Cricket (Test & ODI) to make them available for Indian Premiere League (IPL). This shows the tendency of international players that they prefer playing in the Indian Premiere League (IPL) than playing for their national teams.

This Debate will continue in the next post.

Your Turn Now: What Do You Have to Say about the Indian Premiere League (IPL)? Do you think its positives are bigger than negatives? Do you think IPL is good for Cricket? Do you think IPL is good for Indian Cricket? SPEAK UP IN YOUR COMMENTS.