Essay : IPL - A Heaven for Business but Hell for Cricket

IPL - A Heaven for Business but Hell for Cricket

Overview

• Meaning of IPL and its various teams.


• IPL makes huge business.


• The Twenty-Twenty format changes people's choice.


• Only the huge profit from the game attracts all i.e. actors, business community, players etc.


• The government should make full investigation about the allegation related to IPL.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional T20 cricket league in India contested every year by franchise teams representing Indian cities and states. The league was founded by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and has eight teams namely Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challenger Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions.In our cricket crazy country, IPL was widely appreciated by the cricket fans. Over the years, IPL became the most watched tournament. It became a platform for the budding Indian cricket players. The second edition of IPL took place in South Africa during its tough economic conditions. South Africa benefitted remarkably from the IPL as an economic stimulus event.

There was significant economic activity from thousands of tourists converging in that country. Hotels, restaurants, gift stores and other small businesses benefitted from increased spending from visitors and the IPL.

The huge fan following and love for the game of cricket has given many opportunistic people a chance to make money out of the game as a business. It has become a huge commercial venture. Millions of rupees are invested in every season and this money brings in the high stakes of the game. During the times of IPL, betting becomes a common phenomenon. No industry misses any opportunity to capitalise from this profit making instrument.

There are celebrities, cricketers, cheerleaders, and glamour involved in the sport but the most important thing that is missing is the real sport spirits itself The T-20 format doesn't test the real calibre of a player. It is like cricket being played in haste.

The twenty-twenty format of the game has made the Test and One-Day format very boring for the people. Nobody wants to watch a five day or eight-hour game when they have a choice of a three-hour one. A promising initiative, IPL had embroiled in controversy, money laundering, nepotism, corruption, and subsidy for the rich and famous.

The public trust was misused and a great opportunity to make a positive impact on society was lost. Irrespective of how one feels about the IPL, the fact is that it provides three hours of excitement and entertainment to millions of cricket enthusiast worldwide. There is a demand for such a form of cricket and the IPL capitalised on this passion. For a change, divisive issues like language, religion, or nationality have little influence on how cricket fans enjoy the game.

Looking at the administrative view, it's only the money which brings actors, business community, players, politicians everyone at the same place. On the whole, the love of game is suppressed to a great extent in front of the glory and shine of money which is blinding most of us. Looking at the overall impact, the IPL is going to do some damage with BCCI, for putting their own greedy aims ahead of the needs of cricket.

While some economic incentives and gains can be justified to get the ball rolling, there is enough evidence that the IPL is enormously profitable and there is no need to provide it tax subsidies or for the government to bear all the security costs. The IPL teams are owned by affluent and big bollywood stars.

But the government needs to stop subsidising these rich owners in the name of economic development that lowers the supposed risk but makes the rewards disproportionately higher. In fact, the opaqueness of the bidding process in the IPL gives rise to such disproportionate risk-reward trade-offs. The government needs to make a full investigation of alleged money laundering, tax evasion, gambling, and other illegal activities.

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Author & Editor

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