Leniency in light of what happened has been requested. But there are two parts to the story where they should be let off for pointing out to the umpire that an inquiry should be made on whether power had been restored but not for the insistent manner in which they went about things until the decision was declared their way. If they are let off for the latter part of their behaviour, what is to stop players from making a scene everything a decision goes against them?
Already the cricket world has seen why Sourav Ganguly bears the moniker ‘dada’ (although admittedly it is a nickname of fonder times). Ganguly decided to view matters as he chose while completely forgetting the gentleman’s rule where it is becoming of the batsman to walk off once the decision of the umpire has been made final. (Here again was a case of admonishing the weak umpire for falling into the trap instead of standing his ground.) Ganguly’s vociferous appeal to change the umpire’s mind and dictate to him to refer to the third umpire is not in keeping with the game, another point lost on a man who has a prolific profile in the international game for well over a decade! Shane Warne’s grievance is another matter that was again two-fold, firstly with Ganguly’s antics and secondly, with the fact that the technology to vindicate matters on the field still leaves a lot to be desired.
The Harbhajan-Sree Santh fiasco has already shown Indian cricket in a poor light added to which Ganguly’s behaviour only provoked more people (read: Australians) to present themselves as hallowed people-pleasers with an unfair reputation. It has to a large extent undone the efforts put up to pull the Indians out of a disturbing mire they found themselves down under.

For the sake of maintaining the integrity of Indian cricket (when it is making a case for banning sledging altogether) as also for promoting the IPL as an Indian enterprise that fuels the sport as opposed to being a freeway for Indian players who are showing little restraint in venting their angst, it is perhaps time a little hard talk is required.

What shambles! On the one hand, there is the super successful inaugural edition of the IPL and on the other day, a team drowning in its own misery. If the controversies rocking the IPL have been of a high magnitude, here’s one that tickles the ribs.
Conjecture in your mind as a members of the Royal Challengers squad, the scenario where after a high energy opening ceremony (always a tough act to follow), the Royal Challengers take the field on their home turf in front of the record capacity crowd (not necessarily partisan given that this match followed the opening extravaganza). Not an easy feat when you happen to be the member of the team that has to walk the plank first. Add to the missive, comes a man who has been targeted as a batsman to watch out for. Brendon McCullum was coming on the back of a hiding he meted out, and by the saga of event, was not quite filled in the belly. On the grand occasion, he times an innings of perfection that has class, majesty and brute force in one heady concoction.
Thereafter it would have an uphill climb for any team in the tournament, especially with this being the first match. But the Royal Challengers are continuing to relive the nightmares of that hangover. Other teams have lost their respective first matches and yet have come back fighting strong in the tournament, without the wherewithal that the Royal Challengers enjoy. None more so than the Rajasthan Royals perhaps.
Stories have flooded the tabloids. The Royal Challengers are a Test team who have no place in the IPL event. What an unfair comment! To make a statement like that is to undermine some of the world class players that the Royal Challengers managed to get hold of. Even if these are players without the reputation to bludgeon the ball a la Hayden or Sehwag, they enjoy the enormity of experience at the international level in tough situations that should have made them formidable. To their credit, there has been a day when Dravid fired, another when Wasim Jaffer did, yet another when Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher did, although not all in cohesion which has been their undoing. If the Royal Challengers resemblance a Test squad, the Rajasthan Royals, apart from Shane Warne and Graeme Smith, are essentially a bunch of discards and left behinds (Shane Watson included). Look at how they have performed.
If firing Charu Sharma, Vijay Mallya had naively shot himself in the foot. Rumours abound of the latter’s unhappiness over Misbah’s non-inclusion. But it as Ross Taylor who performed when Misbah was not even unavailable! If the rumour mills are true of discontent within the camp, it is because Mallya has shown ineptitude to run a cricket team. After the mauling at McCullum’s hands, an off day which every team is entitled to, prudence would have suggested encouragement rather than condemnation would have done the world of good. If the team was failing, there were reasons to explore, not a inconsequential CEO to fire! No matter what the platter of rumours, it sounds like a bunch of hogwash, unless there is truth to the narrow-minded of Mallya’s reign as franchisee owner.
Brijesh Patel may well have been a wise appointment (Charu cannot be judged since few are aware of his credentials). Simple cricket logic would have suggested that the team be encouraged to put up a fight, do something off the field to get their mind off their troubles and encouraging boding and enjoy each game in the hope that relaxation will bring forth the desired result. Instead the internet is plastered with images of Mallya putting his hand around Dravid’s shoulder in encouragement, we are told (but is Mallya holding Dravid by the scruff of his neck and telling him how to captain his side? we can only wonder!). A little birdie also suggested Mark Boucher was offered to lead the team in the midst but he (wisely concur) refused while Mallya desisted from making the big change given Dravid’s icon status.
Discretion would have suggested he bide out the present season before ringing in such changes, that too in such haste that they have left room enough for slander and much malign. Charu is saying much without saying anything. Mallya is telling the world that as much as he enjoys his drink, he enjoys the trigger-happy, whimsical mission to hire at will and fire indiscriminating leaving much ill will! Not exactly calming the butterflies in the dressing room, are we, Mr. Mallya?

IPL owes much of its success to two significant moments in Indian cricket although one came much ahead of the other. The Indian Cricket League propelled the BCCI into action mode and while the latter took their time, the result has been a money spinner, even before it was a cricketing success on the field. Contrary to popular notions, the BCCI-led IPL coincided with the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa and not a result of it. But that team India led by an exuberant man for the future, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, certainly helped further the cause of the inception of the IPL to the level of success it has achieved thus far.

T20 undergoes sea change of perspective!

Even as the IPL gathered momentum steadily in the boardroom, none could have predicted the extent to which it would captivate spectators and sceptics alike. The conception suggested success but numbers can often be a deceptive factor. In light of that, this was essentially a calculated gamble bordering on developing a monopoly game though its outcome in terms of how the game would eventually pan out was akin to a lottery, much like the tag Twenty20 has had to live with in its short duration.

Almost everything about the Twenty20 game seems fast paced both, on and off the field. The BCCI, which for long maintained that its lone stand and meted out a step motherly treatment towards Twenty20, stating it a non-essential to the Indian cricket culture, is now reaping the rewards of not only adopting it but also, patenting the first-of-its-kind Twenty20 league of international players within its domestic set up. (The ICL would perhaps prefer the acknowledgement but since their inception has not materialised within the official fold, they would have to be marginalized for the briefest of moments. Approval will come in due time as has the acknowledgement.)

At the beginning of the IPL, commentators suggested each match would be a case of lottery, not knowing which team would come out on top. But we are at the mid-stage of the tournament and the patterns have been astonishing at the very least. Even for teams that have lost their way, they had a pattern in their winning as well as losing ways. It also explains why they have been able to come back in the tournament whereas teams that never got off the blocks have continued to remain in the doldrums.

For starters, teams like Delhi Daredevils have emphasized on the basics of any cricket match, having specialists in the side – explosive openers at the top (Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir) and miserly strike bowlers (Glen McGrath and Mohammad Asif). The Rajasthan Royals have been a tight fit unit with master strategist Shane Warne at the helm with specific roles for specific players, contrast to what was earlier believed about a laissez-faire batting order and bits-and-pieces players. Chennai have a strong think tank under a disciplined coach Kepler Wessels and an innovative, thinking skipper in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. That has helped them tremendously to regroup and hold their nerve against the Daredevils and hold up the rampaging Kings XI Punjab with grit force.

In stark contrast to preconceived notions, it has been the bowlers who have pulled back matches from the brink and not allowed the batsmen to enjoy their flippant attitude supposedly afforded by the concept of Twenty20. Laxmipathy Balaji was not the exception. He is the norm. Bowlers will play a greater part as the scorching heat takes its toll on the dust bowls bringing the spinners and slower variations into the game plan. Just like batsmen who have failed repeatedly with one too many flamboyant and miscued shots, bowlers have not been spared by teams for taking a resigned approach in the high intensity game.

The most essential aspect of surviving a Test match is the quality of the partnerships. Teams that have forgotten how to build partnerships in their quest for individual brilliance find themselves rallying in desperation at the bottom (underachieving Deccan Chargers being a poignant case in point). Twenty20 is a short and fast paced game. But the merits in preserving wickets and consolidating the innings with the additional facet of counting for the generous over or two cannot be discounted.

But the tenets of cricket that have weathered wars, continue to make their point. This is the changing face of cricket. But contrast to antagonistic notions, Twenty20 is only an enhancement and not a threat; not until the day money wins the battle between the cricketer’s true passion to prove his mettle (which will always remain the Test) and the entrepreneur’s vested interests to fill his pockets at all costs. There are patterns. The trick is in funneling them towards the game’s larger interests.