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It has been four years since the IPL started. Every year the event has just got bigger, better and grander. But unlike the first three seasons, the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League is bit of a bore to me. That is mainly due to the hell lot of cricket that I was exposed to in the last 12 months. Such a lot of non-stop cricket and the charm of the game fades away. I am tired but the fact that the online viewership of this edition has gone up shows that people are still into following it. But beyond all this, one thing that I have loved the IPL for is the ridiculous amount of employment it generates for the 2 months it is on.
The commonwealth games promised to generate employment for many and so it did. But those who were a part of that extraordinarily idiotic mismanaged show will never claim that they were a part of it. Just because of the negative vibes the games sent running through people. The IPL on the other hand has become a phenomenon because of its growing success. The way the event is staged is something the world can learn from. It is one of the biggest commercial sports events in the world. It is a model that many business schools must have starting adopting to groom their future Ambani’s and Tata’s.
When I am watching the IPL matches, cricket takes a back seat in my mind. My area of focus is the number of people I see involved in the game. Consider the fringe players of the various teams who rather than playing are mostly warming their seats in the dugout. They not only get to rub shoulders with big guns of the game but are also able to make a living out of the 2 months they are serving their franchise.
The people commenting on the game and those cricket illiterates who host the show and interview players shows the kind of money the event is letting people make. The DJ playing those raunchy numbers in between fours, sixes and wickets, the firangi cheerleaders, the band in the studio which plays nothing but crap, the traditional dancers on the boundary lines which mostly go unnoticed because half the people have their eyes on those with their miniskirts on. For all the above blokes, the IPL is a time of employment and a time to rake in some big moolah. More than cricket this is what I have liked about this event. It is not only for those budding cricketers but also for each and every individual who has something different to offer at this stage. The end result is lots cash in their pockets.
I have always been amazed by this model of the IPL and have always thought of it as one great moneymaking source. That is the reason I have already started looking out as to how I can be associated with this grand event next year. Because it’s not just cricket, it’s a commercial phenomenon.
pavan meshram 