IPL 2015: The ‘Make or Break’ season

AB de Villiers is one of the players to watch out for

It is that time of the year again – when regional rivalries become more important than national sentiments for the cricket fans in India. The Indian Premier League (IPL), currently in its eighth edition, started its journey with the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders registering a comprehensive victory over Mumbai Indians in its inaugural match.

The six-week long cricket tournament has grown a lot in the last eight years, and its impact can be judged by the four T20 leagues it has inspired in four other cricket playing nations.

The IPL was initially launched by the BCCI in an attempt to rival the Indian Cricket League (ICL), a league which went against the establishment. But now, the tournament has firmly established itself as an important part of the cricket calendar, and as one of the leading brands in India.

Its own share of highs and lows

The last four years have seen amazing highs and lows for the cricket tournament that is supposedly aimed at identifying and nurturing young Indian talent. The IPL has become one of the leading sports tournaments on the world scene, and the first tournament to enter a media deal with YouTube. On the flip side, it has also been the centre of many controversies and allegations of mismanagement, to the extent that a section of cricket fans and experts even called for the suspension of the extravaganza.

But the league has started its eighth season despite all the allegations, and in the grand scheme of events, this season might well turn out to be the one which determines the tournament’s long-term future.

The IPL is currently at a crossroads, and it seems that the current season holds the key in deciding its destiny. A controversy-free tournament will be ideal for the BCCI and also the tournament as a whole, which has suffered a lot of criticism in the past two seasons because of disorderly conduct both on and off the pitch.

The team rights, television and media rights and sponsorship rights will be renewed in the coming two years as the teams were granted these rights for 10 years after the first season. Thus, this is the perfect time for the IPL to clean its name so that the public interest does not falter in the near future.

For starters, the off-field issues can be controlled by a regimented policy which necessitates transparency and maintenance of moral conduct. The main accusation from the audience has been that the tournament has been sacrificing the ethos of the game for money and quick entertainment. So the time has come to show the world that the IPL is capable of upholding the pride of the gentleman’s game.

A corruption-free tournament needed

Another major problem with the tournament is the likelihood of corruption being involved, because of the sheer amount of money and fame involved with it. Accordingly, it is necessary for the franchises to ensure that they follow the protocol decided by the tournament's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, which can be an effective way for checking any kind of malpractice.

Even from a strictly cricketing perspective, the eighth season of the IPL can be a make-or-break year for the future of the tournament. The tournament comes on the back of the recently concluded Cricket World Cup, which means the players will be feeling the pressure of the tightly packed international schedule. The same applies for the spectators, who can suffer from cricket overkill because of the minimal space between the two mega events of cricket.

Though popular belief goes that no amount of cricket is ever tiring for the Indian cricket fans, that has been proven wrong in the past. The fourth edition of the IPL suffered a major dip in its viewership because it was held within a few days of the 2011 Cricket World Cup which had seen India winning the trophy for the second time. Interestingly, it took a Chris Gayle century (a player who was initially not a part of the tournament and was added to the Royal Challengers Bangalore team due to injury issues) to reignite the fan frenzy.

It seems that this season also needs a moment like that early on in order to hold on to the cricket enthusiasts who are still suffering from World Cup hangover.

Commerce and controversy go hand-in-hand for the IPL

Unfortunately, the Indian Premier League attracted controversy even before a ball was played on the field. The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) sent a legal notice to the IPL, the BCCI and the event management company in charge of organizing the opening ceremony in Kolkata, for not obtaining the necessary licenses for the use of music during the event.

Speaking on behalf of the music owners, the IPRS has demanded that its members should get their share of revenue for the music used in the ceremony. They also pointed out that if the IPL authorities can afford huge budgets for star performers, they should not find it difficult to pay for the music they used.

The IPL is still in its development stages, with a lot of work to be done before it can become the grandest event in the cricketing calendar. It already rivals the commercial interests of the English Premier League, a competition which started almost 16 years before it and is considered arguably the biggest football league in the world.

The IPL is responsible for generating jobs for almost 20,000 individuals (excluding the players and coaching staff) with an average salary of Rs. 15,000 per month. The film industry has also shown great interest in the cricketing extravaganza because of its commercial and entertainment value.

The time is here for the league to clean its name once and for all and to establish itself as an all round success in terms of star player attractions, recognition of youth talents and most importantly, the quality of cricket played on the field.

If the tournament manages to do that, then the scandals and controversies will be a mere footnote in the grand history of the IPL.