Want to know what a modern Indian sports fan looks like? Just imagine a living room on an April evening during the Indian Premier League. A smartphone refreshes a live fantasy league app on the coffee table. The screen flashes real time win probabilities, boundary counts and projected scores during the broadcast. Above the screen, reaction reels light up social media feeds. We are no longer simply watching cricket; we are processing it at the speed of an algorithm. And IPL has just revolutionized it.
What started with passion and love, has now unhinged from its purpose, and has become a greed trap now. The time before IPL, was the time when cricket was treated just as a sport and not as a money making machine, players used to be grinded into performing for their country, also viewers had a good attention span to watch a 5 day test match and were more inclined into the sport rather than controversies.
And then in 2007 IPL came, an auction happened, players received a large sum in their banks, and viewers got a new twist, BOLLYWOOD X CRICKET. The franchises were owned by bollywood stars, which brought more attention on the ground. Slowly and gradually controversies got involved, fantasy sports became a part, people started loving the fast paced 20 over format where every delivery mattered.
A major reason for ipl’s earlier success also includes overseas legends like Shane Warne, Chris Gayle, Ricky pointing joining franchises and playing alongside Indian players. Their involvement in the games gave massive chances to players for getting familiar with their playing styles. But this exposure to Indian players cost hefty on owners bank as large sums of money was being transferred overseas, alongside that, it also destroyed India’s home ground advantage in series hosted by India, as players playing IPL stays and practises on Indian pitches which gets them accustomed to Indian conditions.
The IPL brings money and worldwide attention, which is a huge boost for Indian cricket. There aren’t downsides to this. But the focus on fast scoring and big hits is changing the game. Its pushing aside the skills that once made cricket what it was. The old values, patience, technique, discipline are being lost. It’s not all bad. It’s a real concern. The sport’s history and identity are at risk. We need to think about what we sacrifice for the thrill.
It is not all about grinding through the domestic circuit or learning how to defend a tough morning session against the new ball for the young players coming through the ranks these days. Instead everyone is after that lucrative IPL contract and that means their focus is purely on hitting big, unorthodox T20 shots and making an instant impact.
You can see this mindset clearly when teams run into trouble during a match. When a batting line-up starts collapsing and wickets fall in a cluster during the powerplay, the immediate reaction of modern batters is often to try and hit their way out of trouble with high-risk aerial shots. Instead of digging in, taking time to settle, and respecting a good spell from the bowler, the patience just isn’t there anymore. That quiet, gritty determination that used to define traditional red-ball cricket is slowly getting pushed aside.
As the saying goes every coin has two sides and IPL is no different. IPL is not a villain in modern cricket. IPL is a masterclass in sports economics. IPL is a platform for finding raw talent from Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 towns. IPL is also a source of entertainment like no other. IPL has given grassroots players money security. Has turned Indian cricket into a global financial powerhouse.
The problem then is not to refuse the energy of T20 cricket but to create a rounded understanding of sports. Enjoying the sixes in May should not mean forgetting to value the mental battle of a longer format. For the fans and players of this generation, keeping the heart of cricket means seeing that the beautiful part of the game is its two sides: the exciting rush of trying to win and the strong patience needed for the long game.
Nandani Garg is a student of Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal. Views are personal.
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