No IPL for old men, new year brings new trends in Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is here again. Well not really, there are still two months to go before saucy cheerleaders and packed Indian stadiums cheer big hits and tumbling wickets.
But before the IPL, the World Cup comes to the Sub-continent, marking 40 years of One Day International (ODI) cricket.
With the international media spotlight soon to be on the World Cup, IPL organisers would be wise to take advantage of the opportunity of having an international audience at their doorstep.
What can be a better way to kick off a public relations campaign than a glitzy gathering of international cricket stars with the rich and famous stakeholders of IPL and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The annual cricket cattle market kicked off at a posh hotel in suburban http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 where the rich and famous air-kissed each other and played with their toys.
IPL’s auction saw bidders splashing huge amounts of money on players.
The mantra of “my millions up against your millions” works in this setting.
The biggest surprise of day 1 was when English batsman and recent Ashes 2010-11 hero, Kevin Pietersen, was bought by Deccan Chargers for a mere $650,000. It was a shock for many English fans of the flamboyant player.
He was listed in the first rank of players known as the prestigious “marquee list.” He was the cash-rich tournament’s most expensive player two years ago when his bid started at a whopping $1.35 million by Bangalore.
Of course, he must be flabbergasted because of the huge pay cut, almost 50 per cent. No more gold and diamond encrusted license plate for his Lamborghini.
So, how bad were the rich people at the auction? Well, they tossed sacks of gold coins at mediocre players, targeting young Indian uncapped players, even brought in some unknown Australian players for a huge amount.
There was enough fire for the final showdown as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 Indians invited problems for themselves when they splurged $850,000 on Andrew Symonds while retaining Harbhajan Singh.
It seemed as if the owners were on auto-pilot, had slipped into a coma or were playing blind man’s poker.
Chris Gayle went “unsold” in the two day auctions. "I'm sure all those IPL franchises, everyone will know what I'm capable of”, he reacted after knowing that he was passed by the owners.
The very next day, he slipped on his cricket gloves and smashed 32 runs off one over at the Big Bash in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. But it seems IPL franchises need young blood, not old men.
The ‘dada’ of cricket, Sourav Ganguly will now be available for any after-dinner engagements or marriage ceremonies at very reasonable rates after being snubbed by Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Knight-c71599 Riders and all franchises combined.
Next up was oldie Brian Lara who got the snub. The 41 year old legs faced the axe by the franchises.
A new year has brought new purchasing trends in the IPL that leave much room for bewilderment and debate.
The oldies, on the other hand just need to relax and head out to the Caribbean for a holiday.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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