The Indian Premier League
Posted on 02 Jun 2008 under Random
I was watching the final match of the Indian Premier League yesterday. One of the defining moments (in my opinion) of what the IPL has achieved was seeing Yusuf Pathan hugging and celebrating with Shane Watson. Considering the recent tensions between Indian and Australian cricketers, that moment was something special to me. I was already emotionally high after the win, considering I’d been supporting the Rajasthan Royals to win, and it went down the wire right down to the last ball. I don’t watch a lot of cricket, but when I do watch it, and when the match gets interesting, I get really involved. Yesterday was no less, and I went through a rollercoaster of emotions at the fall of every wicket and at the loft of every sixer over the boundary ropes. And then to see how players from different countries have come together to play as a unit, overcoming barriers not only of nationality but also language (Yusuf Pathan cannot converse very well in English, and I’m pretty sure that Shane Watson can’t speak Hindi very well) was just that little something special. Go ahead, call me sentimental. I guess this one time, I don’t really mind being called that.
I was also reading an article pretty recently about how successful the IPL has been as far as TV viewership is concerned. The article went on to explain that the evening saas-bahu soaps took quite a beating. Anything (almost) that does that is welcome on my TV screen. What this means is that cricket has gone from being a game watched by boys and men to a game being watched by the family. I don’t think half the women watching it care too much about the actual game as they do about whether it was Shah Rukh’s team that won or Preity Zinta’s. The bottom line still remains that cricket, even in this somewhat vulgar, in-your-face glitz and showmanship, has become accessible to newer audiences. It’s certainly one thing when your mother and you sit staring at the screen and she celebrates everytime a Rajasthan Royals wicket fell, and you jump everytime Yusuf Pathan hits a six. In the end, all that mattered was that the better team kept their nerves and won.
(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
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well. its just a twisted way to get housewives into the game. i would rather see them watch serials than talk cricket.. feels wierd.. its one of the last forts men still hold
That’s why they should legalize strip clubs in India
What an interesting article! The match was awesome. Didn’t see the whole of it, but I did see the last parts. The closing ceremony was terrific. The stadium is just round the block and I’d seen the rehearsals and stuff right in front of my house. Lucky eh?
But yeah, the match was good. The Rajasthan team totally deserved it, but both played very well. The last ball was the best lol. One run to go and one ball. That was edge of the seat excitement even for someone like me who doesn’t give a shit about cricket. Great match and I’m definitely looking forward to the next season.
Yeah, so am I.
There’s not much I miss about the year I spent studying in England during high school (I particularly don’t miss the food).
But strangely, I grew to love cricket. Strangely? Sure; I’m Italian, and I now live in the USA. Not much cricket in either place!
The IPL sounds great … maybe one day there’ll be an American Premier League. But then again, maybe not.
You’re right, Mario. That’s probably the first time I’ve heard of an Italian fan of cricket, but it’s all good, dude. Sport is sport, and it can never have enough fans.
Gurdit, you’re absolutely right … I’m busy trying to start loving baseball as much as I do soccer (and cricket of course).
But it’s an uphill battle; I still don’t really get baseball at all.
@Mario : One thing you can try to do is play some video games. Perhaps it sounds like a silly suggestion, but games do create interest in the sport itself.