A disappointing ICL

Foreign players, Foreign umpires and even Foreign cheer leaders. Still the name, Indian Cricket League. Bad pitches, poor infrastructural arrangements, unworthy team names. Really hats off to arrangement. In my earlier post I had been really optimistic that this venture would turn out to more excitement in cricket in India then ever before but I was disappointed to see the real show.

Seriously, with the huge revenue the organizers are earning, things would have been much better if some part of it was spend on ensuring that the level of cricket rose than just minting money alone. The competition factor with the rival BCCI league probably also led to the dismal performance which was prompted by an early and half-hearted start. No doubt there have been celebrities and high-profiled spectators coming in to watch the match but the game of cricket is not the right place to enjoy their presence. They could rightly have been left out of the arena and better stadiums, lightening, etc. provided for instead. The seating arrangement for the in-field spectators could have been improved as well.

What is the point of selling this half-baked cake? Is it the fear on the part of the promoters of ICL that they might not be able to capture the heart of Indian audience when the BCCI league starts its own version? Or is this the best ICL could do? I probably do not agree with either of the reasons for they are lame excuses, because of which the excitement which 20-20 version of this game offers, is suffering on all counts. I think a test match would offer more excitement and entertainment than this. Really, its all a matter of quality, something which had a glaring lack in this series. Hope the things improve with time.