The Indian Players’ League has finally, with the blessings of BCCI and ICC, happened? Is it a progressive occurrence or is it a mere money exercise? Difficult to say, as it is early days. But let us do some loud thinking on the issues.

It has been a marriage of cricket and entertainment. But puritans, who follow the game for the sake of it, are likely to be offended by this move. Does cricket, or for that matter, any sport, need promotion and popularity? If the game is good enough it is bound to have takers.

The scenario in soccer is different. It is not only the world’s most popular sport, but most countries play it. The different league formats in various countries like England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Argentina give an opportunity to top players to play alongside and sharpen their skills. Thus a true soccer fan just cannot resist the temptation of seeing Ronaldo and Toti and Roonie, in action, in the same team. And then in soccer, unlike in football, individual players and their skills have huge fan following and national pride comes to the fore only during World cup or some such mega event. International clashes are not very frequent.

Cricket, which was originally a winter sport, has been reduced to a money-spinning event, thanks to the overzealous administrators, which is played round the year. So catching a Lara or Tendulkar wielding their willow or a Warne or Murali spinning their magic webs is not a big deal. In this scenario, how well this new experiment will fare, remains to be seen.

Most cricket playing countries have their domestic league system, firmly in place- Redstripe in West Indies, Puma cup in Australia, English cricket league or the Indian Ranji trophy matches. Even a Mumbai-Bengal match whips up enough enthusiasm with divided loyalties. People will give their right arm for watching a Ganguly-Sachin clash. You already see them in opposite teams in the domestic tournaments and of course you see them in the same team when they are doning national colours. So is it really worth to watch a Symonds vs. Warne clash or a Jaysuriya vs. Murali dual? And then when the Kolkata Knight Riders taken on Delhi Daredevils, which team are you expected to support?

With the players’ biddings reaching epic proportions, is everything as transparent as it is made out to be? For example- what is the guarantee that there would be no tacit understanding between Warne and Symonds especially after watching the later hitting the former all over the ground? Symonds is the second highest paid cricketer and efforts to jackup the market worth of an individual player, cannot be ruled out.

But let me conclude the article on a positive note. Our youngsters like Ishant and Rohit, can really benefit, by playing alongside some of the contemporary greats-provided they are able to pick up the nuances and finer points. The evenings of the vast majority of India’s110 crore populace is no longer the same. They have a delicious treat for the next 45 days or so. The players are happy, the people are happy and Lalit Modi & company are laughing all the way to the bank. So gentlemen in white flannels, please step aside for some scantily clad young things, who have no qualms about exhibiting their ample assets, in the name of cricket. Meanwhile if you and I squirm in our drawing room chairs it hardly matters!