Indian Paisa League to Indian Players’ League

Time and again, the IPL has been accused for our overseas escapades. Eight consecutive defeats have left us looking for a reason and some way or the other, we have always blamed the IPL. At this point of time, the IPL is more about glamour and less about cricket. The players have to keep moving from one city to another and even attend post-match parties, etc. All this does tend to affect the players mentally, if not technically. So what should be done to make the IPL more player-friendly? Like it is said in the banking sector, it is important to strike a balance between the liquidity and profitability (readers from other fields, please consider a 2-pan balance weight), same is the situation here. It is important to balance the profits and the players

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The changes I propose to the current format of IPL:

1) 3 matches in a day instead of 2.

This will reduce the number of days the league is played and thus, give the players more time to rest and recover before the next tour. Also, TV sponsorship won’t be affected as the “On-Air” time remains constant. The stadium turnout could be less for the morning matches but it will only be a marginal decline as the league is played during the academic summer vacations, so a lot of student turnout can be expected for morning games. The recovery period will help us avoid overseas debacles as the players will be mentally and physically stronger.

2) Every alternate IPL should be played overseas.

Going overseas will help our young players to learn more about those pitches and the weather conditions in those countries. It will help us identify specialist players for particular tours. For example, I’d pick Suresh Raina for Tests in the sub-continents where the short ball won’t trouble him a great deal but for Tests in Australia, England or South Africa, we need someone who can play the rising short ball better than Raina and also fulfills other team needs.

The specialist player policy will also indirectly cater to our player-rotation policy. Continuing on Raina’s example, after playing a tour in the sub-continent we can very well rest him for Tests in the above-mentioned countries. The bowlers also can be rotated under the specialist player policy. Soon we could have a situation where a team that goes to Australia is completely different from a team that tours England but still produce winning results. This will give us a bench strength that is not only fresh but also carrying international experience.

We are already worried about how our players will adjust to the bouncy pitches of Australia in the World Cup 2015. So playing an IPL there in 2014 will give them enough exposure and I don’t see any nation refusing the bully BCCI when it comes to organizing a tournament.

These two changes will benefit the players and indirectly, the nation as a whole. Also, from the BCCI’s point of view, these changes will make IPL a global brand as it travels to different parts of the world. Going global may also see ICC give IPL a separate window ensuring that all players are available for the IPL. These changes, though may seem minor, will leave a major impact in the long-run. All in all, these changes will create a win-win situation for the players as well as the BCCI. Though the selectors may not to be happy as the pool of potential stars and deserving players will rise as quickly as the Real Estate Industry and they may face some pleasant headaches at the start of every series!