[1]Both on and off the field, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been plagued by controversies ever since its inception. The last one month or so has been really tough for all cricket lovers as each passing day brings a new twist to the spot fixing scandal.
But all is not bad with the IPL, is it? Apart from giving financial securities to a whole lot of players, it also gives the likes of Harmeet Singh, Sidharth Trivedi a platform to show case their talent.
I definately do not belong to the same class of people or intellectuals who think that only Test match cricket should be our priority. As even in a T20 match a bowler needs to display certain skills to match the tempo of the game and the batsmen need to adjust with the pace of game and neither skill is easy.
All the three formats can co-exist provided we do not give too much importance to a certain format. Lets make no mistake about the fact that the likes of Trivedi, Singh would not scare the hell out of a batsman in a five day game but come a T20 match, they are more than a handful.
The great thing IPL has done to cricket is that it has facilitated the forging of some unlikely friendships. Isn't it wonderful to see Harbhajan Singh smiling and celebrating with Ricky Ponting, given the fact that they were not even on talking terms a few years ago. IPL has broken all barriers and has created a new environment in the world of cricket.
There are always two sides to a coin and if IPL has made the game more friendlier, it has made it a bit more interesting too. When you share the same dressing for more than a month and a half, people will get to know your strengths and weaknesses. Just the other day when India was up against West Indies in a Champions Trophy clash, Chris Gayle advised the West Indian bowlers to bowl short to Virat Kohli.
Considering the fact that both of them play for the same franchise in the IPL it would not have taken long for Gayle to find that out.
It would be really interesting to see how world class players combat such scenarios.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/chris-gaylevirat-kohlijpg-514