With Team India lifting the ICC World Cup on 2nd of April 2011, the focus and attention shifted immediately to IPL4. The players were hardly given time to enjoy their victory. But for a Tea-Party with the President of India, the Indian Players never had a lavish party from the BCCI or even a party by their respective State Associations.
The Players themselves hardly had a day or two to spend with their near and dear, as they flew off to play against each other in the IPL. The stakes in the IPL is so high, that the BCCI and the State Associations of the 10 franchisees just could not think of anything else.
Almost all the players got some kind of cash rewards from their State Governments. Poor Sreesanth and Ashwin were unfortunate not to get any such call from their respective States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. I guess, with the two states on the election path, they could not make any such announcements at this time.
With whole of India basking in World Cup Victory and every cricket loving Indian walking with his head high, the feeling was short lived due to the start of IPL 4 within a week after the World Cup finals. Most of the players from the World Cup winning squad are pitted against each other in the IPL.
It will be interesting to see how IPL4 fairs this season after a count of 3 successful seasons. The off-field troubles for Lalit Modi, controversies involving some franchisees and the reshuffling of the Governing council of the IPL; have all brought in some bitterness. In more ways than one a dent has been made to the brand value of IPL. The IPL4, sans party and Lalit Modi, has truly brought the focus back on Cricket. This is good news for the public who love the game of Cricket.
This IPL does not feature Dada, the Prince of Kolkata. Adam Gilchrist who captained Deccan Charges in the last 3 IPLs is leading Kings XI Punjab and Sangakkara who captained Kings XI Punjab is leading Deccan Charges. We have Harbhajan and Andrew Symonds playing for the same side. Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils have hardly any star power except their Captains Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist. Very strange team selections from many of the Franchisees have left us with a sense of suspense on what to expect from their Teams.
Only 2 teams, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have maintained their core team from the last 3 seasons. The rest of them have gone through a major reshuffle and may have to reinvent the winning formula. The two new franchisees Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers need to make their Investment worthwhile. From what we have seen so far, Pune Warriors are right on the button. They seem to have the right balance and have started off impressively. The controversy stricken Kochi Tuskers need to really pull-up their socks and put some wins on the board.
Despite their loss to Chennai Super Kings in the opening encounter, Kolkata Knight Riders have been pretty impressive so far. The Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have all been their usual self. The real disappointment has been the Delhi Daredevils. It is still very early stage of the Tournament with plenty of games to go. It would take some time for teams to understand each other and strike a winning chord.
It is refreshing to see some outstanding fielding in display. The ground fielding of all the teams has been exceptional. The catching has been slightly inconsistent though with some teams dropping simple ones and grabbing unbelievable half-chances.
To add some spice to IPL4, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has issued a statement requesting Sri Lankan Players, who are selected to represent Sri Lanka for their upcoming England tour, to be present in Sri Lanka by 5th of May to take part in the preparations. This has just ignited once again the Country vs Club issue. If the Sri Lankan Cricketers pull out of IPL, the combinations of the teams will change and so will their chances of winning the cup.
The Indian Cricket Fans are not used to club culture and are just getting used to it, thanks to IPL. The reshuffling of teams has resulted in Franchisees like Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore missing out on their local Superstars. Kings XI Punjab missing out on Yuvraj Singh and Royal Challengers Bangalore losing out Rahul Dravid, Robin Uttappa and Manish Pandey. Deccan Charges have also missed out on their local stars Laxman and Ambati Rayudu, thereby having hardly any local name to boost off. This certainly does not help in building a fan base. Neither does it allow the fans to stick to loyalty.
At a time, when the Indian Team has won the ICC World Cup, it will be a great dilemma for the Indian fans to express loyalty in its fullness and cheer only for their local franchisee. Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag, Zaheer and Harbhajan will be cheered wherever they play in India under any franchisee.
The biggest challenge for the Brand IPL today is IPL itself. IPL4 has to become successful to make sure the Brand Value is restored fully and enhanced a bit, if possible.
The crowd turn-out has been slightly on the lower side in most of the grounds. IPL4 needs a new hero or an underdog to put in great performances. This will help them immensely in drawing more crowds to the stadium.
The first real question now is; are the Indian cricket fans getting an over-dose of cricket?
It is indeed a big test for the Cricket Crazy Indians. But do they have the appetite?
The Players themselves hardly had a day or two to spend with their near and dear, as they flew off to play against each other in the IPL. The stakes in the IPL is so high, that the BCCI and the State Associations of the 10 franchisees just could not think of anything else.
Almost all the players got some kind of cash rewards from their State Governments. Poor Sreesanth and Ashwin were unfortunate not to get any such call from their respective States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. I guess, with the two states on the election path, they could not make any such announcements at this time.
With whole of India basking in World Cup Victory and every cricket loving Indian walking with his head high, the feeling was short lived due to the start of IPL 4 within a week after the World Cup finals. Most of the players from the World Cup winning squad are pitted against each other in the IPL.
It will be interesting to see how IPL4 fairs this season after a count of 3 successful seasons. The off-field troubles for Lalit Modi, controversies involving some franchisees and the reshuffling of the Governing council of the IPL; have all brought in some bitterness. In more ways than one a dent has been made to the brand value of IPL. The IPL4, sans party and Lalit Modi, has truly brought the focus back on Cricket. This is good news for the public who love the game of Cricket.
This IPL does not feature Dada, the Prince of Kolkata. Adam Gilchrist who captained Deccan Charges in the last 3 IPLs is leading Kings XI Punjab and Sangakkara who captained Kings XI Punjab is leading Deccan Charges. We have Harbhajan and Andrew Symonds playing for the same side. Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils have hardly any star power except their Captains Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist. Very strange team selections from many of the Franchisees have left us with a sense of suspense on what to expect from their Teams.
Only 2 teams, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have maintained their core team from the last 3 seasons. The rest of them have gone through a major reshuffle and may have to reinvent the winning formula. The two new franchisees Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers need to make their Investment worthwhile. From what we have seen so far, Pune Warriors are right on the button. They seem to have the right balance and have started off impressively. The controversy stricken Kochi Tuskers need to really pull-up their socks and put some wins on the board.
Despite their loss to Chennai Super Kings in the opening encounter, Kolkata Knight Riders have been pretty impressive so far. The Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have all been their usual self. The real disappointment has been the Delhi Daredevils. It is still very early stage of the Tournament with plenty of games to go. It would take some time for teams to understand each other and strike a winning chord.
It is refreshing to see some outstanding fielding in display. The ground fielding of all the teams has been exceptional. The catching has been slightly inconsistent though with some teams dropping simple ones and grabbing unbelievable half-chances.
To add some spice to IPL4, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has issued a statement requesting Sri Lankan Players, who are selected to represent Sri Lanka for their upcoming England tour, to be present in Sri Lanka by 5th of May to take part in the preparations. This has just ignited once again the Country vs Club issue. If the Sri Lankan Cricketers pull out of IPL, the combinations of the teams will change and so will their chances of winning the cup.
The Indian Cricket Fans are not used to club culture and are just getting used to it, thanks to IPL. The reshuffling of teams has resulted in Franchisees like Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore missing out on their local Superstars. Kings XI Punjab missing out on Yuvraj Singh and Royal Challengers Bangalore losing out Rahul Dravid, Robin Uttappa and Manish Pandey. Deccan Charges have also missed out on their local stars Laxman and Ambati Rayudu, thereby having hardly any local name to boost off. This certainly does not help in building a fan base. Neither does it allow the fans to stick to loyalty.
At a time, when the Indian Team has won the ICC World Cup, it will be a great dilemma for the Indian fans to express loyalty in its fullness and cheer only for their local franchisee. Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag, Zaheer and Harbhajan will be cheered wherever they play in India under any franchisee.
The biggest challenge for the Brand IPL today is IPL itself. IPL4 has to become successful to make sure the Brand Value is restored fully and enhanced a bit, if possible.
The crowd turn-out has been slightly on the lower side in most of the grounds. IPL4 needs a new hero or an underdog to put in great performances. This will help them immensely in drawing more crowds to the stadium.
The first real question now is; are the Indian cricket fans getting an over-dose of cricket?
It is indeed a big test for the Cricket Crazy Indians. But do they have the appetite?
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