While it is true that 99% of the fans watch the IPL on their TV sets, but even they miss the spectacle of the Indian crowd out in force supporting their teams and watching the live
T20 matches: the painted faces, the innovative slogans on posters, and the boisterous good mood that comes from watching and supporting your home team en masse. After all it is the
Indian Premier League; an Indian innovation and the fact that is in not in India; is inevitably disappointing.
All those groups of noisy college boys dressed in their team colours, the gaggle of trendy girls, the many celebs who took the day off to be seen at a cricket match, the fervor, the fever pitch excitement and yes the sheer and actual heat is all missing in beautiful South Africa with its well behaved crowd; which is also just a little bland. Even Nita Ambani team owner of the Mumbai Indians concedes that there is no such thing as watching a cricket match in India.
Shobha De columnist has also opined, “Distance, in this case, may not make the heart grow fonder! The initial thrill and excitement are over. The timing is off. And this IPL is a coitus interruptus for cricket.” She may have something there!
Sure there are those die hard fans who have gone all the way to South Africa and support their team but there are few of those in India who can spare the time and the money to go over to South Africa. Plus their numbers in the stadium there would not be enough to make too much of an impact. And those who do travel abroad would not have the satisfaction of joining their voice with literally thousands and thousands of supporters. Had the IPL been in India so many more would have taken the day off of made time in the weekend to go for a few hours of celebration and revelry at the cricket stadium which is now being denied them; this concept of a ‘paisa vasool’ cricket concept.
But so what if this year’s IPL seems trifle tame; just that little bit lack luster, it is still a concept that so delighted us all last year, and we need not let a little geography come in the way of the sheer delight that we Indians take in our cricket. Lets all enjoy the cricket and when we get a bit homesick for some Indian fare, we can easily switch to the other Indian league that is currently on, the elections, or the Great Indian Political League!
