A big talking point in the recently concluded Champions league Twenty20 tournament was the inability of any of the IPL teams to qualify for the semi-final. While Deccan Chargers were knocked out in the first round, RCB and Delhi Daredevils only managed to reach the super eights. This point has been used by all and sundry to ridicule the IPL as an over-hyped tournament without any “real” cricket. I would completely disagree with this point of view.
There is a big difference between IPL and other domestic teams. The players in the other domestic teams play together for the whole year, and not only the T20s but also other forms of the game. This allows the players to gel together and play as a team. On the other hand, the IPL players get together for a very short span before a major tournament which doesn’t allow them to bond together and it shows in the results.
Secondly, teams like NSW have a history behind them and money is not their only motivation. Continuing the legacy of stalwarts like the Don Bradman and Waugh brothers (all of whom played for NSW) is as important as the money they earn. If they lose, they not only let themselves and the team down, but also these cricketing greats. In contrast, the IPL players are mostly in the team to earn some good money. True, no sportsman wants to lose, but there isn’t any motivation to win either. As Dale Steyn famously said after the IPL-1, “IPL was a paid holiday”. This after RCB lost 10 of their 14 matches and finished seventh out of eight teams! I wonder whether he would have made this statement if he was representing his national or even the state team.
So, will the situation always be the same for the IPL teams? Will they just make up the numbers in tournaments like Champions league? I don’t think so. It will take time, at least couple more years, but IPL teams will get there. The other day in the match against Otago Volts, Ross Taylor received such a big reception from the Bangalore crowd that he must have thought he is in New Zealand. No, that’s not quite true; he doesn’t get this kind of reception even in New Zealand! From now on whenever he goes to bat for RCB, he will not only carry the million dollar cheque, but also the hopes of RCB fans. He will not only be accountable to Mr. Mallaya, but also to thousands of RCB fans. Once the players start associating themselves with the team, they will get that added motivation to perform, which in turn will allow the IPL teams to be more competitive. Also, the more matches they play together, the better will be the team spirit and better will be the performance.
What about the future of Champions league? The TRP ratings were recorded at 1.6 for the event, while it was 4.6 for IPL-2. The matches not involving any IPL teams were played in front of largely empty stands (Thank god the commentators did not make a fool of themselves by uttering the clichéd “What an electric atmosphere”, as they did in IPL-2).
But I think the tournament will only improve from here. Once the fans start relating with the foreign teams, the viewership will increase. In fact, even in this addition of the tournament, a lot of fans who did not support any team to start with, started supporting T&T by the end.
On the whole, Champions league was a very good tournament with some high quality cricket, though it would have been more enjoyable had any IPL team done better. Hopefully, the next edition of the tournament will bring more joy to the IPL fans
