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Wednesday, March 27, 2024
YourTurnReader View: IPL not the same without fans at stadium, but game...

Reader View: IPL not the same without fans at stadium, but game a much-needed stress buster

YourTurn is our weekly feature in which ThePrint's readers share their views or opinions in response to the question of the week.

New Delhi: Covid-19 has taken a toll on major sporting events across the world. The Indian Premier League (IPL), which started last week in the UAE, is being conducted without crowds or the usual glitz and glamour associated with the T20 league.

We asked our readers: Is IPL in UAE, without fans in stadium, fun?

Here is what some of them said:

‘Fake cheering feels like we are watching with a crowd’

I don’t think it has made much of a difference for the viewers who watch the telecast of the match. The broadcasters have added the sound effects of crowds cheering and even chanting the names of their favourite players, which makes you feel as if you are watching the match with a real crowd in the background. However, it has certainly made a difference in the form that you cannot watch a match in the stadium even if your favourite team is playing in your hometown or you can’t hang out with your friends in a restaurant or a pub while watching the game. Still, in my opinion, IPL will be a much-needed stress buster of sorts for many in these tough times where lack of source of entertainment and almost zero social interaction with your friends/families is affecting people in multiple ways.

 Raja Reeshav Roy, Patna. Twitter handle: @rajareeshav

‘IPL being played behind closed doors, no fun like before’ 

I guess this year IPL will be celebrated more on the social media than on the grounds. India’s craziness for cricket can never be replicated in any part of the world. In India, IPL doesn’t happen just on the grounds — it is celebrated in malls, bars and open grounds where they are telecast. All of this will not happen in the UAE. This year’s game will be played behind closed doors with no fun like previous years. But everything happening this year is historic, let’s contribute to it wholeheartedly and support our teams with the same energy!

 Priyanka Singh, Varanasi. Twitter handle: @Priyankaaaa24

‘Without audience, their funny placards, IPL has become boring’

IPL, without audience in the stadium and with just crowd noise being played artificially, has become a bit boring. Also, we miss the funny placards people used to come up with, related to their favourite team or player. The reason behind stadiums being empty is justified, but without crazy fans jumping for the camera, seen praying for their teams and going mad at every six, it has reduced the fun.

— Poonam Chanchlani, Jaipur. Twitter handle: @mnameispoona

‘IPL is a worthwhile engagement even with empty stadiums’

Thanks to the high-quality cricket matches, IPL is still fun even without spectators. While there is definitely no replacement for the excitement, buzz that spectators create in IPL matches, they still remain fun to watch, thanks to the sound effects and of course good competitive cricket. Fans in a stadium create its own fervour and carnival-like environment, even while watching the matches on TV, we miss this, but IPL is still entertaining as the biggest draw is the high-quality cricket. With a lot of people still confined to their homes, IPL is a worthwhile engagement even with empty stadiums. As the saying goes “Something is better than nothing”.

— Vidyuth Chikoti, San Francisco Bay Area. Twitter handle: @followvidyuth

‘Thoroughly enjoying current season of IPL’

We all are aware that IPL in India is no less than an avant-garde festival. With people, all over India, rooting for their favourite teams, IPL has successfully gained attention and loyalty of fans. Consequently, when IPL was postponed in May, fans were disappointed. Passing time during a countrywide lockdown was tough and IPL was one thing cricket fans were clinging on. Nevertheless, when IPL in UAE was announced, it was hard to digest momentarily. It was soon replaced by the joy of watching our favourite players come on the field. I have seen memes circulated on various platforms about the fake crowd noise during IPL match broadcast but in my opinion, it is a good thing they did because now I don’t feel the stadiums are empty. Needless to say, I am thoroughly enjoying the current season of IPL in UAE.

— Devika Garg, Ghaziabad. Twitter handle: @devdevs1201

‘Fans/no fans in stadium, matches have been exciting’

Yes, IPL in any which way is a huge distraction (in a positive manner), relief and source of entertainment for millions of fans. When the league got cancelled due to Covid-19 earlier, there was disappointment. But hope arose when murmurs regarding its rescheduling began. So, fans/no fans in stadium doesn’t matter. So far the matches have been exciting. Let’s hope it continues that way. And one more thing, the fake audience noises during the matches, are irritating.

 Nimit Arora, Kanpur. Twitter handle: @nimitarora1991

‘IPL has become dull, does not give the same adrenaline rush’

Without fans at the stadium, the IPL matches have made us question what is fun in this. The whole fun in IPL is going to the stadiums, cheering for your teams and best players, fighting with your friends for your favourite teams and in the end admiring the matches. Today we are watching it digitally with friends and family, hearing all the fake crowd noises, but it does not give that adrenaline rush. Even for those who used to watch matches at home earlier, the IPL has become dull. Previously, one got to witness interesting people in the crowds who came with creative placards. Still, the show must go on and that we are able to watch the IPL is the best satisfaction amid a raging pandemic.

 Tanmay Ingale, Kalyan, Maharashtra. Twitter handle: @tanmayingale10

‘Focus should be on deriving fun with our families at home’

The BCCI has, undeniably, tried its best to bring the ongoing league as close to normal as possible. The IPL has also proved to be an effective distraction in times of distress. Many people are, clearly, not satisfied with the sounds of fake cheering but what needs to be kept in mind is that it is not safe to allow an audience into stadiums, as of yet. The focus should be on deriving fun from the match viewing experience with family from the comfort of our homes, acknowledging our privilege, rather than cribbing about the makeshift arrangements.

 Avni Sharma, Chandigarh.

‘We can enjoy IPL from the comfort of our homes amid Covid’

Can u imagine the series Breaking Bad without Jesse? Is it fun to watch Brooklyn Nine Nine without the friendship between Jake and Charles? Or Friends without Chandler? Same is with IPL and fans. IPL is kind of an annual festival for cricket lovers. And if IPL is not played in India, how can it be fun? But as this year brought surprise arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, all we are doing is adjustment. Sacrifices for the greater good. For our own selves and everyone’s safety. So yes, as compared to the last decade, the physical enjoyment of IPL at stadiums is not possible, but we can enjoy it in the comfort of our homes with family, friends and loved ones.

 Yeshassavi Pandita, Jaipur. Twitter handle: @yeshassavipand2

‘IPL players may be enjoying the uniqueness of matches’

Carnival time. Crowds, queues, flashy jerseys, painted faces. The signature tune of IPL, cheers, screams and loud music reverberating across the stadium. And the delirious fans. Then, Covid happened. Regulations, restrictions, distancing. The talk of no IPL. What? Finally, IPL is happening but with fans bound indoors. A jarring change. Players might be hating it. Or, on the contrary, enjoying the uniqueness of this experience. Playing, not for the cheers after a wicket, or the grandeur of raising the bat after a century, but for the sheer love of the game.

 Srishti Patnaik, Durgapur. Twitter handle: @SrishtiPatnaik


Also read: Reader View: People don’t have too many options but to trust a quickly-made Covid vaccine


 

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1 COMMENT

  1. Considering that it is taking place in Dubai of all the places, the print team should have atleast given a one paragraph to risk of another match fixing scandal to break out

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