Yesterday, on my show, there were a lot of questions and comments asking why it was that players like Jasprit Bumrah and some others would have to play the IPL. Why couldn’t they prioritise national duty over IPL? Most comments portrayed the IPL as a ruthless money-making exercise.
The truth is that the IPL is the key to Indian cricket being what it is. The economic prowess of the BCCI stems from the IPL and the tournament is now India’s only global sports brand. It is an example of India’s soft power and, for once, the world looks at India rather than the other way round. To ridicule the IPL is to miss the point entirely.
While it is all too easy to talk of national duty, from the perspective of the broadcaster, the Champions Trophy doesn’t constitute even a tenth of what the IPL will rake in as returns. In fact, it isn’t wrong to say that a single IPL game is watched by more people than three Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests combined. For the broadcaster who pays thousands of crores, the IPL is the jewel in the BCCI’s crown.
Frankly, it is impossible to ignore market dynamics. The market loves the IPL and that’s what matters to the broadcaster. If key players aren’t playing the IPL, it will lose its sheen, and that is not something the broadcasters, digital and television, can afford. After all, they have spent 50,000 crores on IPL rights, far more than what they would in the case of an ICC tournament.
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Also, I find a degree of hypocrisy here. The very same people who criticise the IPL will be the ones who watch it most, and ask for tickets if there is an opportunity. And yet, the IPL is like the favourite flogging horse. Would a football player miss a Champions League game and would his club allow him to do so if he cited national duty? Is the Champions League any less relevant?
For Australians, it is impossible to understand how important the IPL is for India. That is because the BBL is not even a tenth of what the IPL is. For them, the context is far too difficult to comprehend. That’s why Australian players can occasionally give the IPL a miss. For Indians, however, it is their tournament and their brand. To say Bumrah shouldn’t play the IPL is an impractical suggestion. Such a thing shouldn’t happen, and it is better we understand and accept the ground reality.
Without money, there is no sport, and the IPL is the tournament that makes Indian cricket what it is. To continuously criticise it makes little sense, for it is also part of the larger India story. It is India’s export to the world and a clear success story that illustrates India’s soft power. If we can’t appreciate that, there is very little to say.
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