Monday, April 25, 2011

IPL (From A South African Perspective)

IPL may as well be known to cricket-lovers throughout the world as the most lucrative and most popular T20 tournament of the year, but here in SA, I have noticed that there are different ideologies circling this event…
It’s important to understand that there are many opinions based on the IPL today and how it’s influenced international cricket. Many referring to the way it has persuaded cricketers to leave their national duties, much like the West Indian case; or the fact that money plays such a powerful role in the purpose of this tournament and I quote, from an ad I watched on TV recently,”Who says money can’t buy talent?”, to support this notion. Apart from these two negatives, there’s nothing quite wrong with the Indian Premier League, in fact, in my opinion it’s very much entertaining, following up the CWC and all. It’s beneficial to the future of South African Cricket by show-casing young domestic talent on the international stage, add that to the skillful knacks that form part of the national team and you’ve got yourself one cracker of a show. And to date the Proteas haven’t disappointed either, boasting match-winning performances, most notably Johan Botha’s all-round successes. Another South African taking center stage is A.B de Villiers who has the ability to make it rain sixes. The rest of the boys continue to represent their country with pride.
The tournament got even more interesting after the addition of two new franchises – The Pune Warriors (which features the likes of former S.A captain Graeme Smith and Wayne Parnell) and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala (Currently no South African players). To have a tournament like this about six days after the World Cup has seen us evolve from rivalry to unity, A place where all fans and players of the sport can get together and give off their best, despite nationality or homeland. A combination of experience and talent is always helpful in boosting the skills of tommorow’s cricket playing generation, this tournament has seemed to open new doors and opportunities for them to do so. Take Valthaty for instance, not long ago he was a nobody but after those brilliant last few innings for the Kings XI, I won’t be surprised if they include him in India’s national T20 squad!
Cricketers leaving their call of duty to pursue bigger prospects in their career, no matter how wrong, should be their affair. Bottom line, the IPL isn’t all that bad. Some may agree, some may disagree with my views but at the end of the day irrespective of whether you’re a serious cricket fan or not, it’s not easy to deny that the IPL is here to stay! And that being said, let it continue to unearth tomorrows heroes and pave the way to a new era of world cricket!
Surekha Bhugeloo for DieHard Cricket Fans

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