It’s a perfect marriage

After just one week of the Indian Premier League, with the dust now starting to settle after frenetic and sometimes chaotic launch, I am convinced that this tournament is going to be a huge success. The Twenty20 game may have plenty of detractors but no one can argue that it is hugely popular for the spectators. As a player, it is also fun and exciting.

India jumped onto the bandwagon of T20 later than other nations – several years in fact after England and South Africa – but the BCCI were the first to realise its full potential. With hindsight, it seems obvious that Indian fans would adore the high-octane cricket, especially with the added glitz and glamour that Bollywood brings. It’s the perfect marriage.

Prior to the tournament, despite the huge pre-tournament media hullabaloo, I did not really know what to expect. But after no less than five flights from the Caribbean, totally exhausted, I arrived in the dusty hot trading city of Chandigarh, the home of the Punjab Kings XI. As was the case with the other franchises, the start was chaotic.

Sports administrators spend years planning similarly large events like the World Cup, but this USD$2.5billion event – a competition that has pulled in an estimated 400,000 through the turnstiles in just 8 days -- was transformed from a neat concept to real functioning tournament in just six months. That the biggest glitch has been an untimely floodlight failure in Eden Gardens is a logistical miracle. You have to take your hats off to the BCCI, and their partners IMG, for their ability to put everything in place so fast.

Like all the franchises, we have had some teething problems in Mohali. So far our playing kit has been manufactured three times, our travel schedule has been a complete mystery and media scheduling is haphazard. But there is a great sense of team-building and a growing camaraderie between all the different departments that make-up the franchise. The early hiccups were only to be expected considering the enormity of the job.

From a player’s perspective it’s been like fresher’s week at college with all the new faces. One minute you are playing international cricket with team-mates you’ve known for years and then, suddenly, you’re grappling with the names of the other squad members. Opponents like Brett Lee, who you know previously only in the heat of battle, is now strumming his guitar in a hotel room with you. Last Thursday after practice, I had the novel experience of Prieta Zinta, one of Bollywood’s biggest actresses and the owner of the Punjab Kings XI, doing my make-up before a photo shoot for Coca Cola, one of our team sponsors. It’s been that kind of week.

The most refreshing part, though, has been the quality of the cricket. There have been some spectacular performances, especially from the batsmen with superb hundreds from Brendon McCullum, Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds. The poor bowlers have largely been bashed around the park, but there have been some top-class performances too from the likes of Shane Warne and Murali. Brett Lee was also awesome for us early on Friday night, dismissing Sanath, the big danger man for the Mumbai Indians, and showing that the bowlers can make an impact. Maharoof has been doing well for Delhi. The run chases have been gripping. The Rajasthan Royals’ chase against the Deccan Chargers on Thursday night, as Warne biffed his way past the 215-run target in the final over, was incredible. The image of Warne being mobbed by his team-mates and carried back to the dug-out like an all-conquering gladiator went a long way to allaying fears that the teams may not gel. In our camp, the team spirit is excellent with Tom Moody and Trevor Penney managing us well.

Who would have thought two years ago that you could seriously consider chasing down totals in excess of 200 in 20 overs? In this tournament, though, you are always in with a shout, even when the run rate ticks on past 15 per over. The good pitches, short boundaries and lightening fast outfields are a nightmare for the bowlers.

As an international player you are used to performing under pressure and giving your total commitment to your country, but the buzz playing here seems to be fuelling these astonishing performances. The electric crowd atmosphere keeps the adrenaline pumping and the large price tag on your head creates a new kind of pressure with huge expectation. There is also a lot of pride swimming around with the players pushing each other a little further.

It’s not just the overseas recruits that are excelling, though. We’ve already seen some match-winning performances from the U19 players – two of whom must play per game – and the Ranji Trophy players. A few have appeared a little overwhelmed to be experiencing the buzz of playing in-front of 40,000 screaming fans for the first time, but on the whole they’re learning fast.

The intermingling of players from all around the world has been fun and lots of new friendships are being forged. Old perceptions crumble as you start understanding new things about personalities who you only knew previously as adversaries. The sharing of ideas provides new opportunities to learn. This will fuel even greater competitiveness in the future, but the friendships should also iron out a lot of the frictions that have hampered the international game.

I know some people have serious fears that the rise of T20 cricket and tournaments like the IPL are going to endanger Test cricket, but I’m convinced such concerns are overblown. The game’s different formats can coexist if administered properly. Indeed, I anticipate that Test cricket will get more entertaining as a result of the skills developed in the T20 format just like it did in the after the advent of the one-day game. We’ll see faster scoring rates and higher run chases.

The key, though, is that administrators around the world need to accept what is now glaring them in the face: this format is here to stay. Rather than fade away, the IPL is likely to grow bigger and more lucrative. Sir Allen Stanford’s claim that cricket is going to grow bigger than football may seem unlikely, but India’s huge population, fast-growing economy and insatiable appetite for cricket could easily lift the IPL alongside the likes of the English Premiership, NFL and the NBA in America.

Immediately after the player auctions there were doubts that the enormous sums of money being spent to buy the franchises and players simply did not add up. However, those fears are now receding. Sponsorship revenues for the teams are flowing in and tickets – the price of which in Mohali start from about Rs.150/- going up to Rs.20,000/- per game – are selling well. As a result, the franchise business models are looking increasingly sustainable.

The growing financial attraction of the IPL means that cricket boards will have to adapt quickly to make sure international cricket is safeguarded. The lack of uniformity in player wages around the world will lead to players retiring early from the international game. Cricket boards need to make sure that cricketers are not forced into making financial choices. The easiest way of doing this is for an IPL window to be inserted into international calendar. Once achieved, all stakeholders will benefit and the future of Test cricket would be protected.