Jhakas | Sanjay Jha
There is growing consensus emerging within India that IPL has with adroit finesse redefined the future of world cricket. Allaying the apprehensions of pessimists, the TRP ratings of even doomed teams have remained unexpectedly high, and the crowd attendance fairly steady even on week-days, despite declining fortunes of some of the home squads. While Lalit Modi, the BCCI big wig, may feel he has scored a deadly hat-trick (in IPL the batsman's suicide mission usually makes that a high probability event, and thus you have seen a spate of them already) the fact is that we are getting unduly carried away by the IPL media blitzkrieg. It will be remarkably foolish to do so. In the long run as initial novelty wears off, ironically enough, on the very foundations on which IPL rests its success case, the abbreviated "supposedly" high-adrenalin format, the chickens will come home to roost. Mark my words, IPL is already losing steam as it has an in-built flaw that no one seems to have given adequate attention to; the predictability of forced drama near the end. In fact, the certainty of uncertainty is its biggest lacunae.
One close finish is great. Two is even better. And three evidently has us salivating for more. But when every match is deliberately circumvented by altering the format of the game to "force a so-called dramatic finish or a close encounter", then the thrill of the unexpected is gone. The close finish itself becomes a much-anticipated event. A bore! It is the ultimate boomerang that only Modi could have possibly conceptualized as a realty show. Vamoose! In any sport, what really is the big mega-moment that we all wait for? The unexpected, the not so easily predictable outcome, even while we clearly relish the real favorite. The one who is expected to win, against the one who is predicted to fail. Let me explain. Continue reading below
The champions versus the challenger. The top seed against the wildcard. The defending champions opposed to the new kids on the block. The front-runner going head-to-head with a novice qualifier. In WBA, we wait for that fatal moment when the big left cut brings down the challenger, even if Mike Tyson did that in Caesar's Palace within the first sixty seconds of a big fight. It was still worth every moment of the thousand dollars spent; it did not have to be a 15-round split decision pushed to the ultimate point. Roger Federer makes more news when upset by an Andy Murray, because he usually thrashes upstarts looking suspiciously at his coveted throne. But the crowds come to watch his sublime performance, despite his predictable dominance. So when someone runs him even remotely close, we soak in the minor deviation. The struggle of a valiant fighter. The unexpected resistance is heady. Remember J Tipsvareic in the Australian Open 2008? And more people know that Tiger Woods came a "close second" at the PGA British Open than the eventual winner. Simply because Woods is the acknowledged numero-uno. Manchester United is the eternal favorite in EPL and you look forward to historic upsets, but there aren't too many. But the wild spectators savour the epic struggles of each and every contest. India, rank under-dogs in Azlam Shah hockey tournament have made a resurrection, thanks to their spirited comeback after a mortifying season. And that was unexpected, for sure, right? And let's face it, beating Australia in ODIs and Tests still remains every country's obsession, because of their formidable indomitable reign at the top. Without a favorite, there is really no war.
In IPL, thanks to the "underwear" format, which limits application, skills, strategy and talent, replacing them with some brutal hitting and good luck and pure charm alone, there will never be an eternal favorite. Ask any of the so-called experts, and everyone will tell you that Deccan Chargers of Hyderabad looked the best of the lot pre-tournament. As did Kolkota Knight Riders. They languish in the bottom-half today not because they are not happening teams, but because in the IPL T20 league there never really can be a favorite. In its current dimension, never! Mr Vijay Mallya did not really understand his Royal Challengers. They have lost because no one can control the extraneous "luck factor", although as seasoned sportsmen no one will ever admit this. Two overs in two matches marshaled by Virendra Sehwag, just two overs for which he has been mercilessly harangued, has Delhi Daredevils, virtually scraping a survival story. That's ridiculous! And frankly, not cricket. And one dropped catch by Ashoke Dinda has Kolkota Knight Riders huffing and puffing to the royal stables after a measly nine overs, thanks to Duckworth Lewis. It is so preposterous, really! It might have provided some cheap entertainment this time around, but when you look at it going forward, I think it is a downhill slide for IPL from now on. What newness will IPL provide in Y2? More cheerleaders? A 10 over innovation? 10 on Ten?
Because T20, by its very intrinsic nature, is a lottery. A gamble. There is a hidden paradox within; in attempting to over-sell the game they have removed the basic tenets on which any game or sport really creates the epochal drama; the battle between the perceived winner and the rank outsider or the next best seed. Everyone is going ga-ga over Rajasthan Royals, they may be a good unit, but if you believe that they should be uncorking the champagne bottle already, it will not just be pre-mature, but could be even termed stupid.
T20 will never have favorites. In IPL T20 that is unlikey to ever happen, even post-player trading next year. The format itself is inherently weak. IPL will fail, fall and falter because of its own myopic misplaced obsessions. You don't provide thrills by forcing them on every page of your script. By creating an unwarranted twist, when a slight turn would have been sufficient. It makes for a contrived ending. And when every match is engineered towards one, the gloss wears off. Fast!
It's funny, but even after 5 days, a drawn Test with no winner can be the ultimate thriller compared to any T20 match so far. Surprised? Have you heard of something called as a tied Test?
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