IPL-4: Really??? When did it start??

I actually have no interest in IPL-4… it is not because the games are not interesting.. It is because I believe one enjoys a tournament when he/she has a team that he/she is cheering for!! In IPL-4, I am unable to determine my loyalties… I am a big fan of some players like Rahul Dravid, Uttappa… but cannot relate myself to Rajasthan Royals or to Pune Warriors…. I love Bangalore… but I cannot relate to a single player in the RCB team!!! I don’t know if this is a problem faced by people other than me…..

I would actually want to observe how fans react when a player who they thought was their own is a cause for ‘their own team’ being defeated in front of them. Just imagine… RCB losing to Royals in Bangalore thanks to a quick fire 50 by Rahul Dravid or RCB losing to Pune Warriors in Bangalore due to Robin Uttappa or RCB beating Mumbai Indians in Mumbai thanks to 5 for by Zaheer Khan!! This can happen to most teams….

Looking at it from a player’s perspective…. Do you think US$ 500,000 (Rs 2.25 crores) is an astronomical figure to motivate Dravid to play against his heart?? I am sure (for a person who is so passionate about his game)… his home team, home state, city matter quite a bit…. It may be a tad easier for someone like Gautham Gambhir where the amount involved is very high…. Nevertheless it is not easy… Money alone cannot motive them to get the best out of them…..

From my assessment (I could be way off the mark here because IPL is more about entertainment, money and glamour and less about cricket, passion and sense of belonging)… The current system of pooling all players and auctioning them like cows is not a good practice from whichever side you look at it… except the money angle!! It is not easy for fans to determine loyalties…. Not easy for players to motivate themselves…. The only motivation would be the money!!! This is quite a sad state… Again fortifies my belief that IPL is more like Bollywood (ie entertainment) and less of cricket…. Does this answer my perennial doubt of why many filmstars are interested in IPL teams?? May be...

Mumbai Indians/Chennai Super Kings are probably the exceptions of sorts thanks to Sachin still being in the team and thanks to Dhoni being seen as a part of the whistle podu gang for 3 years now…. But they do have their share of misfortune - Zaheer Khan in RCB and the likes.

I just hope the auction of players which happened in January never happens again…. One of the most important components which made the world cup games and the victory sweet was the heavy patriotism involved… That is absent here in IPL… Watch IPL - be confused about loyalties and have mixed feelings at the end of the game…… I am better off watching a good movie…... Here comes the IPL and films together again………….