[Cricket] Spicy Cricket Combo – The Indian Premier League



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Mahendra Singh Dhoni on his Helicopter Shot

Picture this scene: A bustling sea of sport fans at the stadium, pulsating waves of overwhelming passion and emotion, and sheer love for the game practically bursting out into the field. Such scenes are common on television and indeed also synonymous with English Premier League (EPL) sport matches. Nevertheless, we witness such scenes in the relatively new Indian Premiere League (IPL) too – a mega cricket event sparked by India’s victory in the T20 World Cup, which has given the Indian cricket devotees reason to rejoice.

Although IPL is rather new in the world of cricket, it has already generated an overwhelming craze amongst cricket lovers in India and other cricket-playing nations abroad. Target Rating Points (TRPs) have been peaking new highs and until the last season in 2012, was only second to the EPL, even though the IPL is only just into its sixth season. The brand value of the two-month cricket league is 17 million SGD and this amount keeps increasing every year as the league grows in popularity and expands its audience.

For those who may not know the IPL well, this iconic cricket tournament is a battle between nine teams, with each team named after its state. The Chennai Super Kings, the Mumbai Indians, the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, the Rajasthan Royals, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Sun Risers Hyderabad and the Pune Warriors battle each other in hopes of emerging tops.

The inaugural IPL held a grand opening ceremony at the Navi Mumbai stadium on April 17, 2008. The stadium was jam-packed with performances from Oscar award music director A.R. Rahman, Bollywood actor Sharukh Khan as well as other celebrities, who performed in show of support for their home teams. The IPL is celebrated nationwide as a grand summer festival and as such, from its inauguration until today, is always coupled with many wonderful star-studded performances. Many companies, recognising the wide reach of the IPL, jump on the bandwagon to make use of the IPL to boost their businesses. IPL-edition products are rolled out every season of game. For instance, German carmaker Volkswagen introduced its IPL Edition Vento and telecommunications giant Vodafone rolled out innovative advertisements through IPL-centric “Zoo Zoo Dolls”.

Even as the IPL is newly inaugurated in the “family of Leagues”, hype over the IPL, as much as it is contagious, can already be found across the entire Indian nation. For every single sixes and fours cricket hits by the players, the fans show their uncontainable excitement by screaming wildly, dancing, and even performing the Mexican wave. Spectators in their homes get a taste of such a bustling atmosphere too as they listen to interesting comments by a team of unique commentators. Such commentators include Ravi Shastri and Danny Morrison – two of the most entertaining commentators of the IPL. Morrison nicknames players in style, for instance “The Huss Master” for Chennai Super Kings Opener Mike Hussey.

Moving on to the crowned champions of the six seasons played so far, we have the Rajasthan Royals, champions in 2008, the Deccan Chargers in 2009, the Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011, the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 and the newly-minted victors Mumbai Indians in the 2013 IPL cricket season. The Chennai Super Kings, IPL champions of 2010 and 2011, can be considered one of the most successful teams so far as they managed to reach five finals and one semi-final in all six seasons. Nevertheless, no one team has been crowned champion for more than two consecutive years. Therefore, the entire IPL scene is still hot with excitement and tension with so many likely contenders for the top spot every season. Coupled together with the growing popularity of the IPL, audiences and avid cricket fans can be sure of much more good cricket action to come.

One extremely interesting and unique part of the IPL worth talking about goes beyond mere financial rewards. An additional award which recognizes players’ integrity in the game, the Fair Play Award encourages sportsmanship and fair play on the field. Such an award is crucial to upholding the core values of sport and competition. Nevertheless, such an award is a new sight on the sports field – winning teams are rewarded with money and recognition, with integrity and sportsmanship deemed to be an unspoken given. It is perhaps important that other leagues look at the IPL and consider the option of having similar awards to the Fair Play Award, so as to encourage proper play on the field and the right sporting values.