AMRIT MATHUR HUR

With the COA scratching the opening ceremony, it’s cricket first and the IPL will start on the right note. A song and dance routine, no different from other film award events, was inappropriate and a colossal waste of money.

The IPL needs no opening, no ceremony. It is cricket’s annual holi — a unique celebration that is splashy, loud and full of colour. Some think it over the top and dislike its vulgar mix of commerce and entertainment. But these are peripherals — the core is IPL is quality cricket with top players performing on a grand stage.

The IPL, as someone said famously in a different context, i s us. I t i s about I ndia. I t i s India’s sole contribution to worl d c r i c ke t s i nce Ranji invented the leg glance one hundred years ago. Ranji made almost 25,000 first class runs (72 hundreds) but did nothing for India except make a statement that non-whites could play better than whites.

In contrast, IPL is real — its impact not symbolic but farreaching and deep. The IPL changed cricket by inviting private enterprise to own cricket. It gave tradition a massive shake up by auctioning players to decide salaries and introducing breaks during play.

Traditionalists were appalled as cricket changed from sport to spectacle to seduce a new audience. But the spicy makeover met general approval: with soaring media rights revenue, strong sponsorship and fan support, it was clear IPL was a commercial blockbuster, a huge six! So big that others soon adopted this formula and there is now a round-the-year cycle of various T20 leagues.

IPL is Indian cricket’s great advert and reflects the changing power dynamics of the global sport.

Because of IPL, India is a respected leader and an entrepreneur, not a customer. No more an ordinary member of a club but someone on the high