Eleven things I hate about the IPL
Ganeshbabu Venkat |
With the IPL circus in town and having been watching the games and reading about it a lot, Rahul Fernandes inspired me to write an article about the things I hate in the IPL after stumbling across his blog. I owe him thanks for waking up the IPL hating cells in my brain. Here is the list of eleven things I hate about the IPL which are in no particular order.
The Commentary
It’s heart-wrenching to watch one of the best commentary teams you can assemble and make them not do their best, L.Sivaramakrishnan, Danny Morrison,Ravi Shastri, Mike Haysman, Ian Bishop, Harsha Bhogle and co. scream and yell every possible adjective in the English language to describe an ordinary shot, a wicket or heck even a single. To say that the commentary is dull, drab and horrible would be an understatement. If the English commentary was bad the Hindi commentary is even worse and will make you cringe and your ears will start bleeding. What would I give to listen to a serene Richie Benaud say “If it was me, I probably wouldn’t say anything” with such aplomb. Sigh!
Environment awareness campaign
The IPL organizers, in an effort to show the world that they are doing their wee bit to save mother earth have a message for you before the toss. I happened to watch Harsha Bhogle instructing us to turn off our lights from 8.30PM to 9.30PM for “Earth Hour”, but lo and behold the lights did not come off at Mohali and Chris Gayle was biffing the KingsX1 to all parts of the ground under the lights. Do these smart alecks realize that they could save a ton of energy and light up a town if they play all the games during the day and not use those things called flood lights? Oh well, wait there is something called prime time and it does not have sunlight and not to mention those magnificent fireworks after the game which are indeed such energy savers. If they wanted to be ambassadors for the “Go Green Campaign” and “UNEP”, please give one of those teams green jerseys to begin with. Get real guys! The earth will heal itself.
DLF Maximums and Karbonn Kamaal catch
Every shot that sails over the boundary is a “DLF maximum”. For Danny Morrison it’s a DLFer. Going by the same definition every single scored should be a “DLF minimum” and what would they come up for a boundary, “DLF medium”? And if every catch is a Karbonn Kamaal catch, I don’t even want to guess what they would want to call a dropped catch? I know the IPL does not care about the game and it’s aesthetics as such, but the least they could do is not to tweak and alter the vocabulary of this beautiful game. Thank you very much we are happy with its raining sixes than its raining “DLF maximums”.
Citi moment of success
Gone are the days when we say a bowler has dismissed a batsman, Instead it is now Zaheer Khan or Bhajji has a “Citi moment of success”, again applying my flawless logic and pristine analogy shouldn’t every ball that does not take a wicket be called a “Citi moment of failure” and a ball that beats the bat or a near miss be called a “Citi moment of partial success”. You know what I would like to call these silly tricks, “stupid moments of success”.
IPL owners and administrators
Yes, we know you forked out billions of dollars to own these teams, but that does not give these franchise owners to be part of the team in the dug-out and jump up and down during a “citi moment of success” or a “DLF maximum”. Not to forget Lalit Modi who is omnipresent, maybe they should give Lalit Modi face masks to every spectator to give that feel in the stands as well. We always hear Lalit Modi saying we want the IPL to be like the NBA, NFL and MLB. If the IPL wants a cue from them for professionalism they should remember that George Steinbrenner never jumped up with the Yankees in their dug out. Not that I mind a jumping Preity Zinta or a Shilpa Shetty, it adds to the entertainment you see.
IPL after parties
I wondered how players fell like nine pins injuring themselves day after day. Some even without playing a game, But after seeing those glossy after-party pictures, I felt they probably had one too many a dance move to make with those attractive and beautiful girls. Not that they would complain for they are already on their way smiling to the bank without having to sweat it out anymore on the field. Now if you want to get in to one of those parties you need to be smiling all the way to the bank to take out Rs.35000 for a night of fun.
Over-enthusiasm from players
IPL has broken national barriers,country boundaries etc.,everyone kisses and hugs everyone. However what Mahela Jayawardena did to Murali was shocking. After having swung him for a wild six during the super over, he pumped his fists in such vein so close to Murali and forgot that Murali was after all his team mate who won him almost 40 Tests. Let’s keep it to ourselves Mahela, not to mention these young Indian turks letting out a stare on the little master who rarely gets flustered by these macho man tricks. Thank god, we did not have Bhajji slapping Sreesanth this time around yet.
Max Mobile strategic time out
I want to know what a “strategic time out” is and how it applies to cricket. Do these folks even realize that a time out is only needed for a game that has a clock running? You cannot take a time out if there is no clock, but hell yeah IPL would like to take one to beam out messages on the giant screen that shows how good a black-berry is or why Shewag and Gambhir don’t want to pick up their phone. However I’m curious as to what they talk about during the time out, dinner plans or after parties.
YouTube Fun Feeds
I thought it was a great idea to get a peek behind the scenes when I initially saw the adverts and what a big letdown it was, Michelle Mclean is all good for the eyes and pleasing, But in all honesty if she does not know Sachin Tendulkar is called the “Little Master” and if she is going to say a team won by 34 points I’m sorry to say she has no business in a cricket field wielding the microphone. Not to forget the girls hired by the IPL to interview the owners, commentators all and sundry. They just gloat over the same thing again and again and sound incredibly lame. You can’t even watch the video for the full length of time even if it is for just three minutes.
Treatment of the media and live coverage
This is my personal grouse. A part-time budding journalist, yours truly was not given an opportunity to cover the games because the BCCI and IPL are in the stone age and do not recognize websites. I know there are dime a dozen websites but they could have recognized a big one like Cricket Web, on the flip side they had the courtesy to let me know about it so I’m cool. What did us poor souls in the US of A do to not get free live coverage on YouTube and why did I have to fork out 60 dollars? I tweeted Modi about it only to be ignored.
Cheer Leaders
Why can’t they have a couple of bharatanatyam or kuchupudi exponents on those stages instead of those NFL girls with their pom poms.Do I need to say more? It’s boring people.
What started out as ten things I hate about IPL, in keeping with the trend of cricket evolved to 11 items and a 12th one as well, In the latest aggressive advertising horror IPL semis and finals will be shown in 3D movie theaters, what is the point of showing the games on 3D? How lame can we get? HD would have made sense but 3D? Do they think people are that dumb to buy this latest gimmick?
None of these is going to stop me from watching it nor do I want the IPL to go in to oblivion, in fact I’m already excited at the prospect of Brian Lara taking the field next year. However I wanted to vent out and I did, and hoping against hope that they can make it better and not do these things when it is around the next time. But I’m not holding my breath, for nothing is going to change.
people generally hate change.
Comment by slugger | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
i know over advertising and stuff can be a bit too much to handle however this sort of stuff has been around way before the IPL came along.
I was referring more to the 20/20 game itself.. i’ve watched a few games myself and its not just all hit bash and many nar sayers claim… I watched Shawn Marsh bat recently and he played very well and all balls on ther merit..
Comment by slugger | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
it fits inside the guidelines.. so if a player wants to use it they can.
Comment by slugger | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
No people hate hollow commercialism, the’ Max mobile advert break’ is my most hated thing about the IPL followed by Danny Morrison saying ‘IN IPL 2010’ after anyone has done anything.
Still some of the cricket is ok I guess.
Comment by Pothas | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
And whilst a handful of people are telling us what they hate about the IPL, they’re still selling out every game.
Comment by Bobisback | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
I am shocked, [B]shocked[/B] the Mongoose bat did not merit a mention. That would be number #1-#11 for me.
Making the handle longer and removing the top of the bat because the backfoot defense is irrelevent? My head wants to explode.
Comment by silentstriker | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
Nice article and pretty much spot on.
The things I hate about the IPL GREATLY outweigh the things I like…of which there are none.
Comment by Polo23 | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
Thanks
Comment by gvenkat | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
What’s the deal with the Mongoose bat? Shouldn’t there be some standard regulation on the allowed bat size? I don’t really know the rules.
Comment by vcs | 12:00am BST 31 March 2010
haha……… i agree partly with you….. i dont mind the maximums and citi moments for a month of cricket…….. but ya…….i would probably be a little pissed if this were to go all year round!
Comment by Giri | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
have to agree on 10 and to disagree on this [B]Over-enthusiasm from players[/B]
Comment by biased indian | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Isn’t there already a hating on IPL thread?
On the whole I like the IPL, but really wish they wouldn’t have the ads during the overs 🙁
Comment by Jono | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
The ultimate irony is the more people hate on the Citi moments of succees, and Karbonn Kamaal catch… the more exposure these brands get.
Comment by Jono | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=Got_Spin;2190024]Negative exposure isn’t that great you know[/QUOTE]
Explain to me how Citi Bank are receiving negative exposure?
Comment by Jono | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=gvenkat;2190029]There is a thin line between being competitive and being an ass. Mahela was being an ass. Imagine if Ishant does that to Tendulkar or say Dhoni does it to Kumble. Mahela was way over the top when he hit that six, I would have tolerated that behavior against anyone but Murali of all people. Come on.[/QUOTE]
So you’re picking and choosing someone’s behaviour, which has nothing to do with the IPL.
McGrath onces pushed Hayden during a domestic ODI match. Ford Ranger cup is no worse a tournament because people who play on one team for some of their career are against it in another tournament
Comment by Jono | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Definitely the ads during the overs and multiple time outs have been the worst bit of this year’s IPL,
Comment by Jono | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Haha, loved your paragraphs about DLF maximums and Citi moments of success. Nicely put.
Comment by _Ed_ | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=Jono;2190018]The ultimate irony is the more people hate on the Citi moments of succees, and Karbonn Kamaal catch… the more exposure these brands get.[/QUOTE]
Negative exposure isn’t that great you know
Comment by Got_Spin | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
The time outs I dont understand, they huddle and the captain is like “Alright guys, Tendulkar is starting to hit us around, lets get him out. Ok?” Then the team is like “Oh, didnt think of that, good plan.”
The ads I dont mind, what else would we be watching for those 3 seconds? The bowler walking back to his mark?
Comment by Bobisback | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Yes there are a lot of annoying things about the IPL and am a bit concerned that Modi will try and make it much longer, but it’s a hell of a lot better than Danoz Direct late at night and the IPL thread is good value too. Great title though.
Comment by pasag | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Very good! i like the one about national players pumping fists and sending off fellow team mates.. its a bit silly
Comment by Nishan | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
No offense meant, but having bharatnatyam or kuchipudi dancers at the IPL is a ridiculous suggestion. It suits neither party. The obvious option is to do away with them completely.
Comment by G.I.Joe | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=gvenkat;2190005]Sorry!! If it was not clear.. I Wrote it with a pinch of sarcasm. The idea was to do away with the whole thing. :)[/QUOTE]
My bad 🙂
Comment by G.I.Joe | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=G.I.Joe;2190000]No offense meant, but having bharatnatyam or kuchipudi dancers at the IPL is a ridiculous suggestion. It suits neither party. The obvious option is to do away with them completely.[/QUOTE]
Sorry!! If it was not clear.. I Wrote it with a pinch of sarcasm. The idea was to do away with the whole thing. 🙂
Comment by gvenkat | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=silentstriker;2189948]I am shocked, [B]shocked[/B] the Mongoose bat did not merit a mention. That would be number #1-#11 for me.
Making the handle longer and removing the top of the bat because the backfoot defense is irrelevent? My head wants to explode.[/QUOTE]
Ah.. Missed it.. With too many things to hate, You tend to miss out on some.. :laugh:
Comment by gvenkat | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
There is a thin line between being competitive and being an ass. Mahela was being an ass. Imagine if Ishant does that to Tendulkar or say Dhoni does it to Kumble. Mahela was way over the top when he hit that six, I would have tolerated that behavior against anyone but Murali of all people. Come on.
Comment by gvenkat | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
TBH, it would be silly if players weren’t fiercely competitive. Nationality doesn’t really come into it.
The worst thing about the IPL is the trivialization and commercialization of the “moments” that make cricket a great sport – a Sachin cover-drive or a Warne flipper being reduced to a “Citi Moment of Success” is pathetic. We don’t get to see Federer’s forehand winners in Wimbledon being referred to as a “Rolex Winner” or a brilliant Messi goal in the Champions League called a “Vodafone WonderGoal” or anything of that sort. Preserve the sanctity of the sport, FFS.
Comment by vcs | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
The advertising has hit a new low. Such a pity considering the cricket has been quality and engrossing generally.
The numbness caused by the commercials was so much that I found myself getting up at odd hours to catch some test cricket between the trans tasmanian rivals. It was like being on a water only diet to flush out the poison after an all night liquor binge.
Comment by Sir Alex | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=Bobisback;2190087]The ads I dont mind, what else would we be watching for those 3 seconds? The bowler walking back to his mark?[/QUOTE]
Listen to the commentators analyse the game. Often you hear them interrupted by an ad.
Comment by Jono | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=G.I.Joe;2190115]Anything that reduces audience exposure to this particular set of commentators in the IPL can only be a good thing.[/QUOTE]
Haha.
I guess some might prefer to hear [I]Do what you love, love what you do… BLACKBERRY[/I] than Danny Morrison or Ravi Shastri.
Comment by Jono | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
when cricket was on public tv here in NZ there was an ad after every over and an ad after the fall of every wicket. Surely people have experienced this before or atleast my generatation should be well use to it. (maybe even numb to it). I dont know what cricket is like on sky at the moment cause I dont have it, but Id expect it to be similar.
Comment by slugger | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Obviously IPL is a business and we have to accept that, there are however certain aspects of the broadcast and the game itself that should just be kept pure and clear of such commercial BS. Commentators should not be calling out DLF maximums and carbon kamal catches or whatever they are called. I mean you can mention the IPL is brought to you by so and so sponsors at the beginning, intermission or the end of the program, but just to have that commercial bs shoved down your throat constantly is the most annoying thing in the world.
I really think its horrible advertising on the part of corporate sponsors, people are sensitive to the manner in which ads are presented and certainly the way IPL does it doesn’t bode too well for DLF.
They could create a more friendly and favorable image by staying within conventional limits.
Comment by mohammad16 | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
One thing that infuriates me more than the Karbon Kamaal catch, people who whine on boards about the said Karbon Kamaal catch. Its bad enough hearing it on tv. Don’t need to read it a million times when I come on here.
Comment by metallics2006 | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=Jono;2190111]Listen to the commentators analyse the game. Often you hear them interrupted by an ad.[/QUOTE]
Anything that reduces audience exposure to this particular set of commentators in the IPL can only be a good thing.
Comment by G.I.Joe | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Good article, gvenkat….
I enjoy watching the IPL, but there are things that irrititate me too.
1) YOu covered the Karbon Kamal, DLF Maximum, and Citi Moment of Success stuff, that really gets my goat.
2) The annoying music that is played every time a boundary is hit is driving me around the bend! It was enjoyable the first time around, then in week two it became annoying, and not it is positively infuriating!
:@
3) Those dancing girls – is the IPL being played in India, or Britain?
:unsure:
4) Ads that are taken in the middle of an over by a spinner, thus ensuring we miss the next delivery, and have to watch it again on replay….
5) Selectors who refuse to pick certain WI players.
😎
Comment by shivfan | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
The MRF blimp plug is the worst i’ve ever seen. It’s an insult to audience’s intelligence, when the same commentator who adlibbed earlier repeats the exact lines in a span of 3 overs. Atleast we’ve option of changing channels between overs ffs this happens right in the middle of deliveries.
However not all ads are bad. The vodafone ones, although have remarkably declined in quality are still enjoyable, as well as the sehwag gambir one.
Wish we could see ones like ‘madk madkan’ pepsi ads of late 90s featuring Sachin. Those were such a rage then, and the slogan ‘ye dil mange more’ was brilliant.
Sadly very few ads retain that uniqueness.
Comment by Sir Alex | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=gvenkat;2190029]There is a thin line between being competitive and being an ass. Mahela was being an ass. Imagine if Ishant does that to Tendulkar or say Dhoni does it to Kumble. Mahela was way over the top when he hit that six, I would have tolerated that behavior against anyone but Murali of all people. Come on.[/QUOTE]
You have a problem with him pumping his fist? LOL. Perhaps its the culture but I dont see anything to get worked up about over something as trivial as that. Maybe if someone like Thisera Perera did it to Murali it would have been over the top but these guys are more or less equals and competitors. Fair game. Now if it was exchanging slaps (lol) I may agree with you.
Agree with most of the points and wondering how the Mongoose bat never made it to the list. I hope its a complete failure and he has zero success with it.
Personally, I like the cheerleaders.
Comment by Himannv | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Hey I don’t think there’s anything that one can hate about IPL. It is the biggest cricket extravaganza in India. yeah if it had again been held in some other country, then it sure would have been a disappointment. [url]http://facebook.com/road2aclt20[/url]
Comment by sreejith.iyer | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
So glad you touched on the commentary first. It really grates on me when the commentators gush over a shot which was either complete ass or had no skill whatsoever as being ‘great’ or even ‘excellent’.
At least with the DLF maximums, there was a prize for whoever got the most. The Karbonn Kamaal catch is just pathetic.
Comment by Jayzamann | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
It’s amusing to see as many phone manufacturers as possible clamour for advertising space in the IPL. You’d hate to be in the market in India and have missed out.
Comment by Jayzamann | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=Bobisback;2190322]Also googled it.[/QUOTE]
tbh, I did check out their Wikipedia page.
Comment by Jayzamann | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=GingerFurball;2190314]It’s all about brand awareness.
DLF sponsor the IPL and a 6 is a DLF Maximum. As a result of watching the IPL, I’ve actually googled to find out who DLF are.
Result? In the unlikely event that I was to ever move to India, I’d look for a house that’s been built by DLF.[/QUOTE]
Also googled it.
Comment by Bobisback | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
The cricket is actually pretty decent. The cheerleaders, commercials during overs, idiotic sponsored names are annoying. The latter don’t even make commercial sense. Not all publicity is good publicity. Constantly annoying fans with silly plugs like DLF Maximum doesn’t enhance the value of a brand.
Comment by Dissector | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=_Ed_;2190016]Haha, loved your paragraphs about DLF maximums and Citi moments of success. Nicely put.[/QUOTE]
Yes. Really enjoyed the article.
Comment by Manee | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
I hate it as much as anyone. I even decided to put a post on the IPL page on you tube. Now someone’s mrked it as spam. It appears anything pro-IPL on the comments isn’t on that page.
Comment by andmark | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
11 things I hate hmm. I do actually like the IPL, but lets start.
1) Harsha Bhogle -He is bigger than just one Indian commentator, he preached about culture recently and has a lack of humor and sensitivity is an uppity halfwit. (Best shown in the Clarke-Lara article on cricinfo)
2) Sunil Gavaskar -could never stand the guy’s commentary, now they think he is some icon that needs to be heard, its unbearable, he comes out with nonsense.
3) Indian commentary is horrible other than Shastri and the foreigners who went out there
4) DLF maximum, I get the need for promotion and it is exhibition cricket but really it is annoying
5) Karban Kamal catch or whatever , every catch is one of them, it devalues the art of fielding
6) The cameramen are all collective morons
7) Coverage in the UK is a disaster
8) Mandira Bedi, random Indian lady on ITV. Why not send my gran on there?
9)Jim Rosventhal,boxing pundit on the ITV channel.
10) Matt Smith, football pundit on the ITV channel.
11) Umpires all cheat if they are local because its exhibition cricket anyway.
Comment by analyst | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=zaremba;2190251]Sky TV is as commercialised as British TV gets but it is much more restrained. There are some quite tight restrictions on the amount of advertising you are allowed to show.
So they have an ad break every other over (or maybe every 3 overs, I’m not sure) and after every wicket, unless two fall in quick succession.
When they have a feed from an overseas broadcaster (eg for the Masters golf or the cricket from some places) they may have to fill in, show some replays etc while the host broadcaster gets on with the real business of selling products.
I haven’t watched any of the IPL but from everything that’s been written the over-commercialism just sounds unbearable.[/QUOTE]
But compared to the large amounts people have or have had to shell out for the likes of Sky and Setanta in the UK, the Indian public get top class sport for peanuts,most of the time for free. In Uk only cheaper sporting commodities seem to be free to air.
So the revenue has to be generated by advertisements.While in SKY case there is a large amount of subscription fees.
If the Indians want the IPL free of advertisment there are a couple of DTH operators offering IPL without advertsiments and with more camera angles in a special package where u can see it that way by paying something extra. But do not thing these are much popular.
Comment by Cevno | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Sky TV is as commercialised as British TV gets but it is much more restrained. There are some quite tight restrictions on the amount of advertising you are allowed to show.
So they have an ad break every other over (or maybe every 3 overs, I’m not sure) and after every wicket, unless two fall in quick succession.
When they have a feed from an overseas broadcaster (eg for the Masters golf or the cricket from some places) they may have to fill in, show some replays etc while the host broadcaster gets on with the real business of selling products.
I haven’t watched any of the IPL but from everything that’s been written the over-commercialism just sounds unbearable.
Comment by zaremba | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=Cevno;2190287]But compared to the large amounts people have or have had to shell out for the likes of Sky and Setanta in the UK, the Indian public get top class sport for peanuts,most of the time for free. In Uk only cheaper sporting commodities seem to be free to air.
So the revenue has to be generated by advertisements.While in SKY case there is a large amount of subscription fees.
If the Indians want the IPL free of advertisment there are a couple of DTH operators offering IPL without advertsiments and with more camera angles in a special package where u can see it that way by paying something extra. But do not thing these are much popular.[/QUOTE]
There is truth in this, but ITV is free-to-air and does show some quality sport eg Champions League and England football matches, and their commercials are restricted as are Sky’s.
I can’t believe that this sort of commericial overkill isn’t counterproductive. Two reasons: (1) The fewer advertising slots you have, the higher the price you’ll get for each one, and (2) The less you cheapen and tackify your product, the keener sponsors will be to associate themselves with it.
And the State maybe should have a role in regulating it so that it doesn’t cheapen or degrade the sport. Which in this case is a matter for Indians and not me, obviously.
Comment by zaremba | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
It’s all about brand awareness.
DLF sponsor the IPL and a 6 is a DLF Maximum. As a result of watching the IPL, I’ve actually googled to find out who DLF are.
Result? In the unlikely event that I was to ever move to India, I’d look for a house that’s been built by DLF.
Comment by GingerFurball | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
I really enjoy the IPL. But with so little to lose for the batsman much of the time, the bowlers have nowhere to bowl.
The only good bowl in the IPL is one that takes the batsman by surprise. And this is achieved, when it is achieved, by pure luck more than skill.
I enjoy the league greatly, but I will also breath a sigh of relief when it is over.
Comment by GuyFromLancs | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=zaremba;2190251]Sky TV is as commercialised as British TV gets but it is much more restrained. There are some quite tight restrictions on the amount of advertising you are allowed to show.
So they have an ad break every other over (or maybe every 3 overs, I’m not sure) and after every wicket, unless two fall in quick succession.
When they have a feed from an overseas broadcaster (eg for the Masters golf or the cricket from some places) they may have to fill in, show some replays etc while the host broadcaster gets on with the real business of selling products.
I haven’t watched any of the IPL but from everything that’s been written the over-commercialism just sounds unbearable.[/QUOTE]
Amercianization. My dear departed Granddad would have been disgusted.
Comment by GuyFromLancs | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Exactly. People used to claim the players didn’t give a stuff, and then when Warne, Gilly, and other retired players showed they very much cared, and other current players (who were already stars) showed how much it meant to them when they won, people really couldn’t claim they didn’t care.
So now they’re rude :dry:
Comment by Jono | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=GingerFurball;2190314]It’s all about brand awareness.
DLF sponsor the IPL and a 6 is a DLF Maximum. As a result of watching the IPL, I’ve actually googled to find out who DLF are.
Result? In the unlikely event that I was to ever move to India, I’d look for a house that’s been built by DLF.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but then you have advertising saturation, plus when overburdened with advertising people grow their internal ad blockers quite a bit which is what I suspect has happened with many Indians. No idea how effective this strategy has been for either the IPL or the brands though. I assume it’ll pay great dividends in the short term, but much less in the long term.
Comment by pasag | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Gotta love Ravi Shastri’s voice. 2nd only to Michael Holding IMO.
Comment by GingerFurball | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=gvenkat;2190419]My thoughts were along the line that IPL is nothing but razmataaz and why do that to your team mate in such vein. You give your 100% but that was out right rude.[/QUOTE]
He’s not a team-mate in the context of the IPL though.
If players like Mahela and Murali were all laughy and matey with each other, you’d have people moaning that the players weren’t taking the competition seriously.
Comment by GingerFurball | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=Jono;2190048]So you’re picking and choosing someone’s behaviour, which has nothing to do with the IPL.
McGrath onces pushed Hayden during a domestic ODI match. Ford Ranger cup is no worse a tournament because people who play on one team for some of their career are against it in another tournament[/QUOTE]
My thoughts were along the line that IPL is nothing but razmataaz and why do that to your team mate in such vein. You give your 100% but that was out right rude.
Comment by gvenkat | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=Himannv;2190116]You have a problem with him pumping his fist? LOL. Perhaps its the culture but I dont see anything to get worked up about over something as trivial as that. Maybe if someone like Thisera Perera did it to Murali it would have been over the top but these guys are more or less equals and competitors. Fair game. Now if it was exchanging slaps (lol) I may agree with you.
Agree with most of the points and wondering how the Mongoose bat never made it to the list. I hope its a complete failure and he has zero success with it.
Personally, I like the cheerleaders.[/QUOTE]
I think Murali is one of the nicest guys around and Mahela of all people doing that to him i felt a little odd. That was an example I gave, The whole thing is kind of artificial that was my qualm in the first place.
Forgot about the Mongoose.. 🙂
Comment by gvenkat | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
[QUOTE=analyst;2190335]11 things I hate hmm. I do actually like the IPL, but lets start.
1) Harsha Bhogle -He is bigger than just one Indian commentator, he preached about culture recently and has a lack of humor and sensitivity is an uppity halfwit. (Best shown in the Clarke-Lara article on cricinfo)
2) Sunil Gavaskar -could never stand the guy’s commentary, now they think he is some icon that needs to be heard, its unbearable, he comes out with nonsense.
3) Indian commentary is horrible other than Shastri and the foreigners who went out there
4) DLF maximum, I get the need for promotion and it is exhibition cricket but really it is annoying
5) Karban Kamal catch or whatever , every catch is one of them, it devalues the art of fielding
6) The cameramen are all collective morons
7) Coverage in the UK is a disaster
8) Mandira Bedi, random Indian lady on ITV. Why not send my gran on there?
9)Jim Rosventhal,boxing pundit on the ITV channel.
10) Matt Smith, football pundit on the ITV channel.
11) Umpires all cheat if they are local because its exhibition cricket anyway.[/QUOTE]
Ha ha ha.
Dwta most of the above.
Comment by Sir Alex | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Every little bit of a tournament cannot be to the liking of everybody. Criticism is easy. With your observant eye, you must definitely invite yourself to manage IPL, institute improvements and make a better job of it. Go Tiger! Show \’em how it should be done!
Comment by edgui | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
The article is grumpy. Tend to agree with slugger that people generally hate change. Old minds generally struggle with change more than youthful ones. This article reflects your denial of time.
Comment by Allwyn | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
Why you in America? Why you not playing cricket in white dhoti in India? You like dollars? You like American glamour? Why you watch what you dislike? Why you write imitation articles?
Comment by Lon D Kabbeidj | 12:00am BST 1 April 2010
You do know that you don\’t have to watch it right?
Comment by Rohit Nair | 12:00am BST 3 April 2010
Thought I’d counter the above article with some of the positive things about the IPL which I enjoy on a regular basis. Could have been its own thread but…
[B]1. Get one last chance at seeing all-time greats play[/B] – Seeing Warne, Hayden, Kumble, McGrath, Symonds et al play one final time is something not many others in years gone by had the pleasure of seeing. If the IPL was around in the 90s I reckon many of us would have gotten a chance to see Viv destroy all comers. Yes I was a bit critical of these guys “tarnishing†their image when the competition was first announced, but damn, it’s great seeing these guys one final time.
[B]2. Players spurned for no reason by their country get a chance[/B] – Why Nannes didn’t get selected for Australia in the previous Twenty20 Championship is beyond me. But Delhi realised his potential and they haven’t looked back since. Some may argue that Symonds banishment from Australian cricket was fair, not me and Hyderbad not giving a crap about all that side rubbish gets a huge plus from me. On the flip side players that get too many chances from their country for no reason are overlooked by the IPL much to their dismay.
[B]3. Grows awareness for the game overseas[/B] – Wall Street Journal, CNN; the IPL has put cricket on the map because of it’s sheer size.
[B]4. It’s free[/B] – Aussies and Poms get to watch it on TV for free. Great thing to fall asleep to and really brightens up the late night TV wilderness. I have to pay or trek out to the pub if I want to watch Australia play away, it’s refreshing being able to watch any form of cricket on free to air in the winter.
[B]5. It learns from its mistakes[/B] – Timeouts were ridiculous so they got rid of them. Initially many franchises went for style over substance, they quickly rectified that. They’re not afraid to quickly change, adapt and improve. There isn’t a stubbornness and pigheadedness that you see in some other places and there seems to be a genuine willingness to learn.
[B]6. It’s revolutionary[/B] – The Youtube feature is brilliant and had never been done before. From a marketing point of view it has presented many ideas and whilst it is certainly overdone, many of the ideas are excellent and in moderation could be very effective.
[B]7. It’s in touch with the fans[/B] – Say what you want about Lalit Modi, but I’ve never ever seen a sport’s CEO (or the CEO of any organisation for that matter) so in tuned with the fans. He’s constantly on twitter and you certainly can’t say he lives in an ivory tower. He’s the exact opposite of what you’d expect from the BCCI.
[B]8. The even and unpredictable nature of the competition[/B] – I honestly thought there was no chance Chennai or Delhi wouldn’t make the finals this year, but then a funny thing happened and they started losing matches, lots of them. Bangalore were supposed to be the worst Twenty20 side ever, Rajasthan were never supposed to win the first IPL and certainly no matches this year. The teams are quite even and really there are no certainties in the league which makes it quite exciting.
[B]9. Umpires get more rewards[/B] – It’s good to see guys like Simon Taufel getting a payday. It’s a tough job getting tougher and am pretty happy they’re able to get one back.
[B]10. Promotes better relationships between players of different countries[/B] – Players are given the opportunity to bond with cricketers from other countries, lowering the general animosity between them when they take on eachother in international cricket. Hopefully this will lead to less embarrassing controversy which the game doesn’t need. Who ever expected to see Warne and Smith such good friends or Brett Lee and Kumar Sangakkara playing guitar together?
[B]11. It’s fun[/B] – but most of all in its most basic level it’s a lot of fun with a lot of flashy strokeplay, innovative batting, electric fielding and nailbiting finishes. Can’t ask for much more really. This is not to say it doesn’t have its flaws, it has many, but at the end of the day it’s good fun and that’s all that really matters.
Comment by pasag | 12:00am BST 3 April 2010
I hate that their fielding just completely goes out the window as seen yesterday.
Comment by slowfinger | 12:00am BST 3 April 2010
But without all these cheap gimmicks where does all the money come from? Without the money, you dont get the stars. Without the stars, you dont get the audience.
Comment by Bobisback | 12:00am BST 4 April 2010
Agree 100% with the article.
My gf was a cricket hater when I met her. After a few summers spent at first grade matches and floating in and out of the room while I’m watching test matches she has come to appreciate the game.
She just laughs at the IPL.
Why those Indian Ads have to be shown to the world I will never know. While I hate a lot of things about T20 I have come around to some of the cricket played. I can’t stand some of the blatant and amateurish commercialism here though.
Comment by Julian87 | 12:00am BST 4 April 2010
Most of them bashing me have failed to understand the point of the article, I never wanted IPL to go away, nor did I say that all IPL is gloom and doom. It could be all the more better without all these cheap antics and gimmicks.
I forgot to mention about the blimp. FFS, these guys don’t know what a blimp is supposed to do. It is supposed to show the ground from a bird’s eye view. Instead what we see is the blimp itself… :laugh:
IPL is for the better and yeah it’s great and all. However these cheap gimmicks are just a waste of time if you ask me. Nice to see that an article has generated so much comments and views. 🙂
Comment by gvenkat | 12:00am BST 4 April 2010
The fact that team owners shell out in excess of one million suggests it’s hardly a razzmatazz. Would prefer the professional competitiveness of the IPL to the jingoistic competitiveness of world t20.
Comment by Sir Alex | 12:00am BST 5 April 2010
No one is arguing against commercialism; the problems is when it goes too far and becomes really annoying and actually counter-productive even from the commercial point of view because it lowers brand value. Indian cricket coverage is notorious for this and the IPL has taken it to new depths.
Example: It would be perfectly fine for Karbon to sponsor a best catch contest after each game to promote their brand. It would even be OK for commentators to speculate about a particularly good catch being a contender for a Karbon Kamaal catch. But when every single catch becomes a Karbon Kamaal catch it’s just idiotic and insults the viewer’s intelligence. It certainly doesn’t make me think better of the company which inflicts this idiocy on me.
On the whole I beginning to warm to the IPL. Pasag’s points are quite valid and it has brought some good things to the world of cricket. As an Indian I am proud that we have created one of the most exciting new franchises in the world of professional sport. But it would be so much better and just as lucrative if it could remove the annoyances and demonstrate a bit of taste.
Comment by Dissector | 12:00am BST 5 April 2010
I think things have mellowed down a bit in the second part. We aren’t hearing karban kamal every now and then, but only for the really good catches, and dlf maximums are generally rare. (Gavaskar gloost always refer to them as six).
Comment by Sir Alex | 12:00am BST 5 April 2010
“Most of them bashing me have failed to understand the point of the article”
The presumptious author may be surprised to learn that readers of this article on this website may have actually understood what he has typed first and now blames it on readers’ lack of understanding.
The aurhor’s views are even better expressed in the forum where he put up a link to this article. I doubt if the dullest reader of this website could misunderstand what he passes off as analysis on the forum.
Comment by edgui | 12:00am BST 7 April 2010