A year and thirteen days. That’s how long ago I had written last on “The Fourth Dimension”. And while I had touted the last entry in this blog (written after a 2 month hiatus) as a ‘comeback article’, this time around the comeback has definitely assumed “Ganguly-an” proportions!

Speaking of Ganguly and cricket brings me to the cricketing extravaganza that has currently created a frenzy in the country, or at least in most parts of India – the DLF Indian Premier League. “Cricket ka Karmayudh“, that’s the way the parent body has decided to promote the event. Well, “Cricket aur Manoranjan ka Karmayudh” would probably have been a more apt tagline. Or, as one of the country’s premier news channels calls it – “Cricketainment“!

Here, right at the onset, let me make it very clear that I, personally, am not in the least against adding a certain amount of entertainment quotient to cricket matches. I have always believed that the game is attractive enough to be able to hold on to its own charm amidst latest Hindi chartbusters blasting away at full volume and scantily-clad cheerleaders dancing outside the boundaries. And that there isn’t really a need to worry about the game being overshadowed by these fringe elements. However, it is the format of the game and the amount of money that has gone into this event, that makes me apprehensive.

Looking at the positives first, IPL has done Indian cricket a huge favor by bringing out some sparkling new talents and providing them the opportunity to rub shoulders with the greats of the game. The Manpreet Gonys, the Wriddhiman Sahas, the Abhishek Nayars and the Swapnil Asnodkars, struggling to make a name for themselves in the not-so-widely-followed domestic tournaments, wouldn’t even have dreamt of playing with the Mcgraths, the Warnes and the Muralidharans! That they are actually doing so in reality now, will not only let them learn from these greats but will also do their confidence a world of good. Having already got a taste of playing against international stars, they will, in all probability, find the transition to the next level a much smoother ride.

And not only Indian cricket has benefitted. IPL has given us two explosive top order Australian batsmen in Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach. They have already shown that the Aussies will not have to look far for a replacement for Adam Gilchrist at the top of the order. The IPL has also helped the ever under-performing Shane Watson, touted as the next big thing in Australian cricket, to blossom into the fine alrounder that he is. And last but not the least, the IPL has shown us that Shoaib Akhtar, without his tantrums and with his mouth shut, is still potent enough to single-handedly change the course of a match!

Having said all this, two questions still remain. First, is T20 the ideal format for a youngster to enter the international arena? Should a budding player concentrate on the finer aspects of his technique in order to become a complete batsman, or should he start clearing his left leg and start hitting across the line right from his coaching days! After all, as all the experts say, test cricket is still a batsman’s real test. A typical example of this syndrome seems to be Gautam Gambhir. For all the talent he has, he has never really fared well in test matches for India, in spite of doing exceptionally well in the shortest version of the game and reasonably well in ODIs too. In his case, rather than shotmaking, the problem seems to be more in his temperament. Also, with the advent of T20, will youngsters be still interested in taking up the art of bowling? After all who would like the idea of running in hard just to get flayed all over the park!

The other question that haunts me is the kind of money that has been poured into this event. Even the least expensive franchise, the Rajasthan Royals, cost a whopping $67 million. Was this kind of money really required? Will it not demotivate players from carrying out international duties? Or even more importantly, in a country like India where cricket already is a religion, is there a justification in spending millions on the same sport rather than supporting other sports and sportspersons who actually require the money? Mr. Ambani, the richest Indian at the moment, could easily have invested in table tennis or athletics rather than buying the most expensive team in the IPL. He probably wouldn’t have got the kind of returns he is getting now, but then if a Mukesh Ambani can’t afford it, who can! Mr Subroto Roy of Sahara, already sponsors the national teams in cricket and hockey, and probably sees no reason to spend more money on some of the other not-so-high-profile sports. Vijay Mallya is already into a lot of glamorous sports – tennis, football, formula 1 and now cricket. And in spite of all these corporate biggies and their so called love for sports, we find an Anju Bobby George, a Dola Banerjee or a Saina Nehwal looking for sponsors and not getting any.

The only time I can recall an Indian businessman investing in some of these low-profile sports, was when Lakshmi Mittal launched the Mittal Foundation Trust aiming to develop medal prospects for the 2012 Olympics in Squash, Archery, Boxing, Shooting etc. A commedable initiative for sure, although the others have not quite followed Mr. Mittal’s path yet and have decided to stick to cricket, at least for the time being. So while the IPL augurs really well for Indian cricket, at least for the shorter versions of the game, it may spell doomsday for the several other sports in our country which are in real need of investors.

To end on a positive note, Shahrukh Khan in an interview just after buying the IPL’s Kolkata franchise, said he would like to spend the money he earns in IPL on the development of other sports in the country. We can only hope and pray that he does so soon, and that other corporates too tread similar paths. The earlier they do so, the better for sports in this country.