How about having the French open in Australia? It’s absurd isn’t it? Or at least it sounds preposterous to certain die hard tennis fans. Apart from sounding ridiculous it’s the most unlikely of all possibilities. In the same breath, the news of shifting the “Indian Premier League (emphasis on the “Indian”) out of India to foreign shores has been profoundly uncomfortable on the ears of the millions of people in the country who would have undoubtedly braved the late afternoon bursts of heat to crowd into the respective stadiums to watch their revere gods do battle. Truly it’s a pity to have another country host an event whose identity runs hand in glove with being Indian.
The IPL, in which the world’s leading players participate in eight franchise teams from across India, has gained unprecedented attention since its debut last year. Cricket is a much hailed sport in India and citizens across the country throng into the stadiums to cheer their ducky stars. The IPL is an Indian brainchild, nowhere else but in India does cricket find such an acceptance and devotion, hence the fact that it will not be played in India is without an iota of doubt, a matter of national shame.
According to BCCI president Shashank Manohar, it was because of the attitude of the government that they were forced to take the decision. The schedule was clashing with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the government was not ready to spare security for the cricket tournament. IPL commissioner Lalit Modi tried his level best to convince the Home Ministry that they would cast off any concerns of security that might arise, but the government turned down the offer saying the Lok Sabha polls take precedence over cricket.
The recent attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan was not only embarrassing for that country but the whole sporting fraternity. And this shedding of responsibilities from the government poses a big question mark on whether India is a safe venue to host the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for 2010.
What is the signal the government is trying to send within and outside the country? Is our security a myth? The issue is, can a so called developing country wanting to be hailed as an upcoming superpower as well not handle multiple tasks at a given point of time?
More than 90 international players from top cricketing nations have signed up for the IPL, which has brought India’s two great passions, cricket and cinema together. It’s a very unfair decision forced upon all the stakeholders, franchisees, advertisers, the tourism industry and people of India and all those who are directly or indirectly related to IPL. Only thing left to see is whether the IPL can recreate the Indian magic in South Africa. While cricket is almost a religion in India, it is soccer and rugby that rules the roost in South Africa.
“The crowds made IPL-1. Without them it would have been just another tournament; they made it the biggest thing to happen to cricket,” leading cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote in The Indian Express. “The players will still be there this year but there will be something missing. Moving the IPL to South Africa isn’t the best thing that could have happened.”
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