While I blogged hard on the day it was decided to move the IPL outside the country. Imagine India could not hold an event of this magnitude. What are our chances to hold larger format events like the Olympics then.
Nevertheless now that it has happened it might be worthwhile to look at the positive rub off from internationalization of a domestic event. Ideally I would have been happy to see IPL go international by design rather than being forced to be moved out.
Hence being international is not a bane of sorts for the IPL. The stature of the tournament and India will only move up. While IPL one was such a hit, I can see this time it will be even bigger. There is a magic about the ways of IPL and it will rock again. Cricket authorities, today are more worried about test cricket's dwindling popularity especially in the light of the craze that IPL generates. There was a time we were worried about our cricket because our domestic games were not igniting any passion. IPL turned the tables around and now seems more popular then international games. This contagion will now spread across the globe and set alight a spirit of camaraderie between the two nations. The IPL players will get the invaluable experience of playing cricket abroad and mingle with people there. It will infuse them with maturity and confidence. Our bench strength will further improve. The perception of Indian cricket will rise in the eyes of other cricket playing nations. We will be perceived to be leaders. This will generate confidence in our players which will rub off on the cricket field. India doing well today is not only due to the skill level of our cricketers. To a large extent it is the success of cricket as a sport in India that has had impact in the psyche of both our players as well as the players of the other nations. Other cricketers have now seen the strength of our cricketing institution and think that we have all that it takes to be champions. Remember there was a time when we felt likewise for South African cricketers. We thought they were the most professional lot because they had strategists, trainers, coaches , etc etc. We allowed this perception to play in our minds that made us play less in the middle. Today this is happening to other nations. It is that extra bit of confidence which creates a gulf between teams. While we have been worrying about the fate of the marathi language for being marginalized in our country now we have the "aala re" song going abroad. So is the case with Chennai Superkings. Not only are we making our cities popular across the globe through the IPL, we are also spreading our multifaceted culture. The soft power of Bollywood and Indian style cricket will create a disconnect not only in the minds of the people but also in their hearts. Such a disconnect etches images in hearts and minds that stay forever. The world will come to worship our soft power. It is some sort of "Gandhian" style non violence conquer of millions of hearts across continents, something which our politicians could not do even 50 years after our Independence. While the world thought weapons would conquer what we have come to see is the conquering power of art and culture. It is so sweet that it not only brings joy to the conqueror but also to the one who is conquered. All I can say to end this session is "Jai Ho" IPL2. Spread the fun. Spread the joy. Bring happiness to the teeming billions.
