By Gaurang
April 8 2012

The fifth edition of the IPL is underway, and surprisingly it still has a lot of appeal.  One would have thought with the dismal performance of the Indian team in Tests and even ODIs following their triumph in the World Cup, the IPL would have lost some of its lustre.  But actually the opposite is true.

The IPL is a brand of cricket which is blissfully free of the jingoistic nationalism that the national team, the so called "Men In Blue" arouse.  It is of no consequence in the IPL whether you are Indian or not, at least in terms of which team a fan supports.  Afterall the national Star players all play for different teams.  Dhoni, Raina, and Jadeja (though I wouldn't call him a real star despite his $2 million contract) play for CSK, Sachin and Bhajji for MI, Veeru and Pathan for DD, Yuvraj and Ganguly for PWI, and Gambhir for KKR, etc. 

Of course it makes a difference in terms of who the fans identify with most, whether you are Indian or not, and hence in general Indian players, and Indian star players in particular can earn more, but even that is not a hard and fast rule.  The IPL is much more like the Indian epics of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.  It is more about individuals both good and evil (but never without some redeeming qualities) and which side you support.  So Gayle can be seen like Ravan, if you are not a BRC fan or like Bhim you are a BRC fan.  Similarly Sachin can be likened to Arjun (what was that about a child is the father of the man?) if you are a MI fan, or to Karan if you are not.

Also like the regular Saas bahu soaps and Bollywood movies against which the IPL is really competing, the IPL kind of grows on you.  You wake up in the morning (at least on the West Coast of the US) and you switch your TV on during breakfast to the channel showing the IPL and watch it just because... no particular reason.  Later you can discuss it at work if you happen to work in the IT field or with fellow Desis on the Internet, if you do something else.  Who won, and who lost is important and interesting, but just not in a deep emotionally scarring way that the 0-4 whitewashes to England and Australia in back to back Test series was. 

It is more like how American baseball fans follow their team.  Of course they can get passionate about winning or losing, but it is more about rituals of the season, and the rhythms of the game.  Otherwise the hapless Chicago Cubs would have long ceased to exist instead of still having a huge fan base not just in the Windy City, but everywhere that the Chicago diaspora ends up, probably even in Mumbai or Kolkata.

The IPL is like that.  It is has become a rite of passage of kids after school is out for the summer.  Maybe some even mug up for their exams with the carrot of tension and study free days to follow where they can watch the game on TV in the evenings while they play it themselves in the noon day sun like the proverbial Englishmen and mad dogs.  

For office folk it is like catching a movie or hanging out with friends after work.  The IPL is a nice way to unwind, down a few cold ones at a pub and enjoy the company of friends, colleagues and even like minded strangers, while the video and audio soundtrack of sixes and fours, plays in the background. 

In other words the IPL is fast becoming a "tradition" just like the one that is also starting up a continent away, in places like London and Birmingham, except with a lot more color, noise, excitement and of course a LOT MORE money. 

The Appeal of IPL

Discussion started by Indian Cricket Fever (IP Logged), 08/04/2012 07:45

Indian Cricket Fever
08/04/2012 07:45

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:04:22:00:38:04 by Birbal.

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Birbal
09/04/2012 00:08

I am enjoying watching Ganguly leading again..

The Pune stadium looks SUPERB...and the crowd was huge and noisy and having a blast...

Ganguly really bringing the best out of players...

Robin Uthappa, Jessie Ryder, Murali Karthik all look completely different players under his wing...

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round rock
13/04/2012 16:08

ganguly stopped fielding completely. its hilarious batsmen are trying to put the ball in his area. tbh, this is not a game for senior citizens

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Max
14/04/2012 05:25

IPL is good entertainment for a couple of hours every evening. The players and diehard fans also take it quite seriously, which makes it worth watching.

India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!

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round rock
14/04/2012 15:43

this year they are not postponing the movies due to IPL. may be next month they may do it

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Birbal
14/04/2012 19:14

Another SELLOUT crowd in Pune...what a fANtastic facility...

And Dada and his team delivers...

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round rock
15/04/2012 18:23

the newly built subroto rai sahara stadium pune is fantastic and their fan base is the best in the business. its very tough to beat them at home. led by dada, they are looking good to make it to top 4

this is the most open tournament so far. chennai, bangalore are struggling. one of them will not reach KO

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Birbal
15/04/2012 18:53

Funny how the BCCI gives step motherly treatment to Sahara...yet they produce the most fan friendly stadium...

Says something na?

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Birbal
01/05/2012 21:22

The IPL has been incredibly well attended by IN STADIUM fans... that is so different from the nearly empty stands in Tests...

Though the ODIs last year against even Lowly West Indies were also housefull...which people explained as because it was in more 2nd and 3rd tier centers like Kochi and Vizag and Baroda..etc...

the IPL is housefull night after night in the SAME cities... including the supposedly cynical BIG metros like Mumbai and Delhi...

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round rock
02/05/2012 17:49

lot of corporates are taking their teams to ipl games instead of resorts. its hot anyways, nothing much can be done in resorts. in ipl games there is lot of food, fun, pretty chicks and some cricket. one box of 50 seater is going at 6 lakh rupees (includes transport, food, gifts/memontos)

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Birbal
02/05/2012 18:03

So about $250 or so per person... not bad... but still pretty pricey...

Wonder what the ordinary seats go for?

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