August 11, 1952. It was an unusually warm summer night in North London. The happenings at Highbury, home to Arsenal Football Club, were equally unusual and unprecedented. Under the stewardship of the iconic cricketing footballers Denis and Leslie Compton, Arsenal and Middlesex faced each other in an epoch-making event that prompted a local editorial to prophetically write “Someday the last wicket will fall when the milkman arrives”. Yes, it was a cricket match, not football, that was taking place and what caught the eye was the fact that it was being played after-hours. Under lights. The first one of its kind ever!
Over half a century on, while football in England continues to be the domain of dinner time, after-hours has become the norm in cricket: the modern game’s newest and most popular format now comes neatly packaged as a one-stop, non-stop entertainment solution! Leading the way in this razor-sharp, real-time razzmatazz revolution is the Indian Premier League.
While the 1952 reference is more a favourite of trivia buffs and not really where any seeds for day-night cricket were sown, folks in England still take credit for “inventing” the Twenty20 game, and hence the origins of this mega marketing maelstrom make their way to the long rooms in old Blighty.
In reality, the spicy recipe is as Indian as it gets, with a little help from Johannesburg and Adelaide. For me, the chief catalyst was a catch. ‘Catches win matches’ is the familiar cliche that winds itself into the fortunes of every cricket contest. Catches spawn revolutions is one far less familiar but far more pertinent when trying to put into perspective the history of a significant sporting success story that seduced an entire generation. And it was a catch taken on a balmy September evening by dancing destroyer Sreesanth of Misbah-ul-Haq that sealed India’s win in the ICC World T20 of 2007. And also introduced a nation to a format hitherto viewed as a superficial substitute for the “real” thing.
Marketing brains led by Lalit Modi took over and soon fat contracts were signed at a posh five-star hotel suite in downtown Adelaide. And a day shy of seven months later, Praveen Kumar delivered the first ball in IPL history to Calcutta’s favourite prince, Sourav Ganguly. At the non-strikers’ end, a tattooed tormentor from the toe end of the world made a statement that was to bring the tournament alive. Brendon Barrie McCullum’s 158 off 73 balls with 13 searing sixes set the tone and caught the imagination. This jocular jamboree was here to stay.
Ten years later, the prodigal child has grown and everyone has found their niche. McCullum has put aside all other forms of cricket and plies his trade as a specialist in the format, ironically now representing the very franchise he destroyed on the opening night.
Sourav Ganguly quickly realised the administrator’s hat fits more snugly, and now, along with espousing on the game, ensures that his home ground plays perfect host and is both rave-ready and rain-ready!
And a certain young under-19 batsman who batted at number three for RCB as they chased an improbable 223 (and was cleaned up by Bengal’s feisty Ashoke Dinda for 1) has grown into the icon figure of world cricket. He answers to the name Virat Kohli.
The game itself has evolved in this defining decade. At the very start, everyone tried their hand at the format — RCB were even accused of having a team fit for Test cricket with the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis in their ranks. Only the naturally aggressive were expected to succeed: Virender Sehwag, Adam Gilchrist, Brendon McCullum, Andrew Symonds and Sanath Jayasuriya. Bowlers (what are they?) were considered an endangered species in this thankless six-bashing format. But the evolution of this revolution changed everything.
Techniques modified. Tactics magnified. Wages multiplied
More significantly, the mindsets were moulded. Bowlers became match-winners. Batsmen needed to reinvent. Fast bowlers relied on the slower one. Slow bowlers slipped in the quicker one. And specialised crafts were rewarded. Be it the ability to play a stroke hitherto not invented (and often defying the laws of physics), the value of sheer pace or even the wizardry of the leg spin googly Chinamen (apparently politically incorrect but tactically very sound) fraternity.
The most significant fallouts were two important F words: Fitness and Fielding — essential ingredients of the modern game. That extra run sprinted, the ridiculous catch snaffled, the full-length dive to save one at times making all the difference between winning and losing.
Often in the format, scoring runs and taking wickets are not enough. Swag and style matter and this is where the carefree Caribbeans lead the way. Twice world champions of the format, their brigade has been an essential part of the IPL culture both on and off the field. Be it the song-and-dance of DJ Bravo or Dre Russell, the bossiness of Brathwaite, the power of Pollard, the inimitable style of Sunil Narine or the sheer presence of the jocund Jamaican, Christopher Henry Gayle, whose blitzy 175 off 66 balls against the hapless Pune Warriors in April 2013 remains one of the showpieces of the tournament.
Circa 2018, even the next-gen of Indian cricket matches the colourful Caribbeans, not just on field but in the flair quotient too. Be it Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill or Rishabh Pant.
Nail-biting finishes and iconic performances apart, it’s also the moments that have made the IPL the sought-after enigma it has grown to become. Who can forget Adam Gilchrist playing his final international game ever and deciding he would bowl the final over? The setting was idyllic, nestled in the surreal Dhauladhar mountains of Dharamsala. And the result equally surreal. A wicket off his very first ball. And then the impromptu Gangnam Style dance followed. “Gilliant” screamed the big screen!
But the honours board at the end of 10 seasons shows that while the flair and dare, glitz and glamour are part of the very fabric of the IPL, it’s still about serious competitive cricket at the very highest level and results come from solid teamwork and consistency. It all started with the tactical genius of Shane Warne winning the inaugural year with sheer grit, teamwork and work ethics, followed by the Deccan Chargers when the league had the marketability to thrive even overseas in South Africa.
From year three to year 10, it was split between three consistent franchises: Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. The one exception being 2016 when the Sunrisers Hyderabad found a perfect combination under David Warner to lift the title.
For the format itself, while the IPL appears to have cracked the perfect formula, the “inventors” I spoke about at the very start of this journey are attempting a 100-ball modification back in England, and, with dwindling attention spans and fattening wallets, even a T10 has been tried! Whatever the final duration, if the marketing formula of the IPL remains intact, success is guaranteed.
Win or lose, sing or dance, at the end of the day the IPL is more than just another flourishing domestic cricket league.
It’s the place where that next red Mercedes, the plot of land or the audacious blonde streak comes from.
For the players, it’s a way to make a living.
For the public, it’s a way of life.
Born on June 25, an auspicious cricketing date, and brought up in Calcutta, cricket has taken Gautam Bhimani to every corner of the earth. Reach him on Instagram @gautambhimaniofficial
