Archive for the ‘IPL’ Category

IPL4: a case of elusive charisma and dynamism

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

That IPL 4 commenced and concluded as scheduled is perhaps proof that no individual is indispensable; an institution is greater than an individual. That the event should have meandered to a close with empty stadiums— even the Wankhede Stadium looked more than half-empty for a game featuring Sachin Tendulkar in a knock out!- is proof of the difference than an individual can make to an institution.

Could Lalit Modi have made the IPL Season 4 any different? Could he have prevented the sharp drop in TRP ratings or gotten more bodies through the stadium gates? May be not. It is being argued that even with our gargantuan appetite, we had reached the limit of how much cricket we could ingest. However, if you hear some of the owners on what they had to say about IPL 4 without Lalit Modi, it is clear that they felt he could have made a serious difference to how this year’s event finally turned out.

This is where charisma and dynamism come into play- people possessed with these enviable traits make things happen. I can’t help feeling that Lalit Modi’s involvement would have given the much-needed impetus to the event— he’d have foreseen satiated appetites as a result of the World Cup and turned that ‘liability’ into another opportunity.

IPL 4 needed someone to think of dishing out ‘hajmolas‘ before the event to make people want to have more of the same. Alas, the person who could have done now seems to prefer a diet of Barcelona versus Manchester United at Wembley, though.

IPL 3 all set to kick off

Friday, March 12th, 2010

In a few hours, the curtains will go up on the third edition of IPL . Like last year, there has been some drama before the event starts, though I can’t help think that a lot of the uncertainty this year was created by folks trying to somehow get some bargaining power in the organisation of the tournament.  Otherwise, I don’t see how the below par levels of security had shown such great progress in a matter of a week. Anyway, it’s not only cricketers who seem to make quick bucks with the IPL, security consultants do too..

For the IPL’s sake, hope all goes well!