The TRP ratings may not say so, but going by the attendances recorded
at the stadiums across the country, the Indian Premier League is back,
and with a big bang. These houseful crowds can be attributed to a
plethora of reasons.
At the top of the reasoning pyramid is the fact that this format still provides the raw entertainment it was designed for, and with no major cricket involving team India in the month of March, the lean build-up has helped bring in this surge. Interest is high among the crowds supporting any particular team and this has perhaps strengthened the understanding that the IPL has indeed achieved city-based loyalties. Fans aren't interested in following other franchises as willingly as they support their own. The upswing in online viewership is a certain indicator of the same.
Perhaps another factor in this re-born popularity of the league is also
the close competition. Yes, the crowds were coming in through the gates
from the beginning itself. But this is a seven-week tournament and the
consistency in numbers can only be achieved by some intense cricket on
display. At the time of writing, Delhi Daredevils were running amok at
the top of the table and Deccan Chargers were lying hopelessly in the
ninth spot. Sandwiched in between, the other seven teams are separated
by a mere three points.
Scoring a hundred in T20 cricket is no mean feat, for not only does
it take immense concentration and application to stay at the wicket, but
you also have to defy laws of batting and hit out at every possible
opportunity. First it was Ajinkya Rahane and then, two days later,
Pietersen joined him in the exclusive list of IPL 5 centurions. In
between, Faf du Plessis, Jesse Ryder and Chris Gayle scored aggressive
half centuries, out of which Gayle has looked the most dangerous with
his new accumulative approach at the beginning of the innings. Surely,
these are the three batsmen you could expect the next hundred to come
from.
The bowlers aren't lagging behind. Dale Steyn and Morne
Morkel have been tearing away with pace, while Shahbaz Nadeem is the new
spinner on everyone's mind. But it was one Sourav Ganguly who charged
up the whole world's imagination. Two wickets against Delhi at the Kotla
and he rolled back the years. That charging run after bowling Pietersen
will remain 'the moment' of 2012 IPL.
There have been a few rotten apples as well, mostly falling out from the Mumbai Indians' cupboard. Munaf Patel has been uttering a few choice words every time he has gone out to bowl and his captain Harbhajan Singh has never actually intervened. The 2011 Champions League T20 winners lie at the bottom of the 'Fair Play' table, while Rajasthan Royals sit at the top. While the latter's disciplined approach can be attributed to the leadership of one Rahul Dravid, should Harbhajan be blamed for Mumbai's bad behaviour, especially when things aren't going their way?
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