Regarding the IPL - I was wrong
Enzo
the winter or close to it, the crowds would have been even bigger.
But more important than the crowds, there has been some
tough sporting action. The city teams have caught the imagination
of the fans, and there is a real chance this might be the way
forward for cricket in future. It gives a great opportunity to
the Dinda's and Saha's, and in retrospect, aspiring cricketers
to make big money from the game without the backing of
the Indian national selection committee headed by morons
like Vengsarkar and More. They, it seems, can go to hell.
I will be going for my first IPL game tonight at the Eden,
and maybe I will buy a KKR flag outside the ground.
Enzo [ who still loves test cricket but thinks ODOs are dead ]
Dan
"Enzo" <s_deb...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d442e4fe-577f-45c3...@j33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
>I must say the IPL has caught on well enough. If this was
> the winter or close to it, the crowds would have been even bigger.
> But more important than the crowds, there has been some
> tough sporting action. The city teams have caught the imagination
> of the fans, and there is a real chance this might be the way
> forward for cricket in future. It gives a great opportunity to
> the Dinda's and Saha's, and in retrospect, aspiring cricketers
> to make big money from the game without the backing of
> the Indian national selection committee headed by morons
> like Vengsarkar and More. They, it seems, can go to hell.
The main problem with cricket is that it is an international sport. That is
why in counteries like australia and england the 1st class matches get poor
crowds, why go to QLD vs VIC when you can go to AUS VS ENG etc. etc. I say
expand the IPL to 16 or 24 teams by introducing teams from around the world,
teams that belong to cities rather than counteries.
Enzo
> "Enzo" <s_debgu...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
Oh I am not so sure. 16-24 teams from around the world
will make it too large. Besides, Melbourne coming to
play in Mumbai will also be a logistical problem.
The crowds are here ( in India ), the money is here,
20-20 is a hit format, there is strong identification
with the city teams ( at least so far ), and the international
stars have a nice 2-month contract leaving them free to
continue playing traditional format with their countries
and counties.
Maybe there could be IPL-type leagues in all countries,
and a overall Champions League ( like the European Champions
League in football ) comprised of the winners from each
nation. But then a player cannot play for more than
one IPL-type league. They could be held in parallel.
This will leave time for the other forms of cricket
which are also important, though for how long ODOs
remain important is debatable if IPL catches on.
Getting the game over in 3 hours is a huge plus
point and it is just a lot more exciting than
the mind-numbing middle part of ODOs.
Enzo [ a cricketing revolution may be under way ]
Macjoubert
Indeed it has so much so that there is a rumor being circulated that
Shoaib Akthar might apply for Indian citizenship , settle in Bombay
and star in Indian movies, all the IPLs doing.
ben.g...@hotmail.com
>
> Enzo [ a cricketing revolution may be under way ]- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Regardless of whether an international competition is a good idea or
not, I am not sure I agree with any of those points. What do you mean
the crowds are in India? The same crowd would turn out for a Mumbai V
Melbourne game, I am sure - and I imagine in a reverse situation,
Melbourne would attract a massive crowd.
Logically speaking, it would only seem commonsense that an
international competition would create more appeal as far as
regionalism.
Finally, do you think the money would be there if this was an Indian
domestic twenty20 comp? Of course not. A lot of the appeal and
commercial viability is through the international stars. Setting up
franchises with additional international players and having more
revenue generated from overseas would only make the competition more
commercially viable.
Enzo
Isnt it obvious? The Indian market is the biggest by some
distance. Use whatever factors you want.
> The same crowd would turn out for a Mumbai V
> Melbourne game, I am sure - and I imagine in a reverse situation,
> Melbourne would attract a massive crowd.
>
Probably. The Kerry Packer series was a commercial success.
TV money is the decider in football leagues in Europe,
and I daresay in a hypothetical 20-20 league in Australia
or England. In the IPL, it is not so. There is a strong
element of style, of crowds and identity, of commercial
patronage.
But all thats beside the point. I never said an international
comp is a bad idea. I said it is not needed by the IPL.
If Melbourne and Sydney want a piece of the action, they
may try to get it. There will be some logistical issues.
And the tournament couldnt be completed in a short time
thus leaving room for the regular calendar. Also a short
tournament has its own attraction unlike a long drawn out
league. Cricket, unlike football, has no space for a long
drawn out league.
> Logically speaking, it would only seem commonsense that an
> international competition would create more appeal as far as
> regionalism.
>
Yes it would.
> Finally, do you think the money would be there if this was an Indian
> domestic twenty20 comp? Of course not. A lot of the appeal and
> commercial viability is through the international stars. Setting up
> franchises with additional international players and having more
> revenue generated from overseas would only make the competition more
> commercially viable.-
Of course. Without the international players, there would certainly
be something missing from the action. Mind you, I am not at all
certain it would kill the spectacle. But there would be something
missing.