It’s time to catch our breath as cricket’s greatest roadshow, the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 has left town. The month of April has just breezed past us, leaving behind a collage of memories, which cricket fans in the UAE will remember for a long time to come.
After having been a part of the UAE sporting scenario for more than a decade now, I must admit that it’s difficult to recall the same level of involvement and passion from the fans in any other event, and that too in a sustained manner over two weeks. The fact that cricket is, as the cliche goes, a religion for the overwhelmingly large sub-continental population here has certainly helped, but that cannot take away the strength of the product called the IPL.
The other day, a senior member of the Indian cricket board was candid enough to admit that it was a ‘brave’ decision on their part to bring the tournament here. Yes, the UAE was pitted against the tried and tested superpower of South Africa as well as Bangladesh, after Sri Lanka ruled out after initial recce because of the possibility of rain around this period.
Much like in any business decision, which is fraught with uncertainties, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) plumped for the UAE and is now, with good reason, overjoyed at the success. It’s been a win-win situation for them as not only have they been able to cut their losses by hosting the first leg here rather than in South Africa, but they also have opened up the hitherto dormant market for the game in the UAE.
It’s hardly a secret now that the Indian board is eyeing the UAE as an extremely viable option to hold other events. In the short term, the interim BCCI supremo Sunil Gavaskar has talked about the possibility of hosting the Champions League T20 (CLT20) here, while in the long run the possibility of India versus Pakistan matches in a neutral venue is also not so far-fetched now.
Conceived along the lines of football’s Champions League, the CLT20 is an interesting concept, which has, however, failed to capture the imagination of the Indian fans, despite five editions so far.
They have not reacted with the same passion to a potentially a strong clash between say, a Chennai Super Kings and Sydney Sixers game as they would to a battle between two high-profile Indian teams. The TRP (television rating points) of the CLT20, by all accounts, have also not been a patch on those of the IPL.
Fed on a yearly diet of IPL as well as an overdose of international cricket, the average fan back in India may afford such a luxury. The situation is different in the UAE where the ‘hungry’ fans will be only too eager to lap up a full tournament with the top-four finishers in IPL VII along with the assortment of international stars for various teams from other top cricket-playing nations.
It’s still early days, but the BCCI brains trust have, in a not-so-subtle way, already set the imagination of the UAE fan running over time.
